InuYasha & The Jewel of 5 Elements
by CaptainWarheart
Summary: Takes place around the band of seven being revived. New Characters: Akira Yoshikawa a ninja, Kairi Higurashi Kagome's cousin ends up in the Fuedal Era after finding new jewel , Ryuko a cat demon, Sarincha InuYasha's sister. Sango/OC Miroku/OC
1. Chapter 01: The Hidden River Village

Prologue

In the present era, there are many stories written about demons. It's hard to believe that demons were a common sight in the Feudal Era of Japan. It's true that some of these demons were capable of being good, but the majority of them were evil. In fact, there were several different groups who made a living protecting humans from these creatures. The Ninjas of this time were one of the said groups.

There were many different villages hidden amongst the country where hopeful students trained in the art of Ninjutsu under the watchful eyes of Shinobi masters. One such village was centered in between two long rivers. In fact, the village got it's name from these rivers: "The Hidden River Village".

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Chapter One

The Hidden River Village

Akira Yoshikawa sighed as he was forced to listen to his Sensei's ramblings of the same lecture he had heard hundred of times before. After all, he was practically a Shinobi as it was. Why would he be assigned B to A rank missions if he didn't know what he was doing?

Akira was 18 and had dark green eyes. The bangs of his shoulder length brown hair were parted down the center of his forehead. Like his two team mates, his outfit consisted of a Shinobi Shozoku. It was made up of split-toed tabi boots, socks, special trousers with double-ties which fasten at the ankles, knees and waist; a jacket with overlapping lapels which was tucked into the trousers and protective arm-and-hand sleeves. The outfit was made of strong, dark-blue cotton, fitted loosely to allow freedom of movement. Normally a scarf and hood would cover the head, but since they were simply training these garments were allowed to be set aside.

"Chakra is a combined mixture of the energy present in every cell of the human body with spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience. Once mixed, it can be channeled through the circulatory system to any of the 361 chakra points in the body. Through various methods, chakra can then be manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise …"

Akira couldn't help himself from finishing his Sensei's lecture. "… such as walking on water. Right Sensei Kenji?" Kenji was surprised for a moment. It was very unlike Akira to interrupt him.

Kenji appeared to be several years older than his students. By looking at him, one would guess he was in his late 40s. However, he was still in excellent shape. His eyes were an aqua shade of blue and his short white hair was spiked to stand straight on end. Light blue highlights fill the tips of the spikes. A large scar in the shape of a lightning bolt covered his left eye.

"That is correct Akira. But that doesn't excuse your interruption." Akira frowned in response. "But Sensei … we've heard this lecture hundreds of times. It's like you've forgotten that we knew anything about Chakra."

The girl with green eyes standing on Akira's left smiled. Her brown hair was styled so her bangs were slightly spiked over her forehead and two buns were tied up near the back of her head. "Akira, Sensei Kenji reminds us about the basics of Chakra before each session for a reason."

The brown eyed guy standing on Akira's right nodded. His dark red hair was tied up with a small white ribbon. The ends of the hair past the ribbon were slightly spiked. "Yuri's right. If we were to forget the basics during an advanced lesson, we might completely fail at what we were being taught."

"You see Akira? Raiden and Yuri have the idea. Why so impatient today?"

Akira's frown turned into a smile of excitement. His eyes almost seemed to sparkle. "Because! I can't wait to start sparing over water! This is gonna be so awesome!"

Kenji chuckled in response as he slightly waved both of his hands in front of him in hopes of calming him. "Alright, settle down and we'll start."

Akira quickly placed his legs together and saluted his Sensei. "Yes sir!"

Kenji's faced turned serious once his students were paying attention again. "Now then, to maneuver over the surface of the water, you must place your hands together and push your chakra to the soles of your feet. Once you are certain you have a good balance, you are free to give it a try."

The three students turned around at once and faced the river by the clearing. They then clasped their hands together as two blue lines of light began to circle each of them in an X like formation. After a moment or two, the three Ninja made their move and rushed toward the river. The wind blew past them at an incredible speed and within seconds, they found themselves running on water. Kenji appeared pleased as he watched his students perform several different maneuvers all while maintaining their balance. This continued for roughly an hour before Kenji decided to call an end to their session.

"Alright you three! That's it for today!"

Akira almost cried in disappointment. This was one lesson he was really enjoying and it was already over. But regardless, he and his teammates returned to the clearing of the woods.

"Man Sensei … why didn't we learn this sooner? It would have come in handy on some previous missions. Especially against demons that enjoy water."

Yuri nodded in agreement. "Like that serpent we battled the other day. That thing was a pain."

Raiden folded his arms. "It wouldn't have been if it weren't for the fact that it had a shard of the Shikon Jewel."

Akira turned serious for a moment. "No kidding. To this day, I wonder what caused the jewel to shatter. Ever sense that happened, demons have been creating more havoc than normal."

Kenji placed a hand on Akira's shoulder. "That's where we come in." He lowered his hand. "We have a few of the shards already. If we can continue to collect them, we should be able to return the jewel to normal."

"Sensei … I've been thinking."

Raiden laughed. "This oughta be interesting."

Yuri elbowed him playfully. "Hush Raiden."

Akira shook his head slightly. "I've been thinking … is it really safe for our village to have any of the jewel shards? I mean, I know there are plenty of Shinobi here, but there's always a possibility that there could be a demon around that even we couldn't handle. And if that demon ever learned that we had the shards then …"

Kenji's expression changed to the same concern Akira was showing. "I see where you coming from Akira. But at the same time, you have to remember how well protected we keep the shards. I guarantee you that nothing like that would ever happen."

"I hope you're right Sensei."

Raiden smirked. "Man, you're such a mood killer sometimes Akira."

Akira shot him an angry look. "Well excuse me for caring!"

Yuri stood in between her teammates and became defensive. "That's enough you two." She raised a hand in the air. "I know! Why don't we go see that play in the theater?" She pointed toward Akira. "You know, the one about the demon slayer?"

Akira smiled. "Hey, that's a good idea."

Raiden shrugged his shoulders and smirked. "Why not? I've got nothing better to do now."

Yuri clapped her hands together in excitement. "Then it's settled. Let's go!"

Yuri led her teammates through the woods as they headed toward the theater of the Hidden River Village. Not even they could know that a man covered in a white baboon's skin had been watching the entire lesson.

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Elsewhere in a darkened traditional Japanese mansion sat a being with the appearance of a normal human being. However his skin was a deadly pale white, while his eyes appeared to be scarlet in shade. Above his eyes appeared a navy sort of make-up. He was a bit skinnier than one would have expected. His kimono was an array of purples and blues and was worn in a very loose fashion. Sitting before him was a wooden puppet which he used to control the demon in the baboon skin. This being was the demon known as Naraku.

Naraku's face appeared to show no emotion as he spoke. He simply gazed upon the puppet. "It appears I was correct. The shards must be with the Shinobi named Kenji." He raised his head and looked toward the entrance to the room which was being slid open to reveal a woman dressed in a three-layer kimono. She also wore a pair of earrings, each was a string of five light green beads with a feather at the end. She had dark black hair which did not even reach her shoulders. However, she did have an unusual styled bun tied up near the back of her head with a white head band. However, her hairstyle was not her most unusual feature. The irises of her eyes were blood red and her ears were pointed like those of an elf. This was the female incarnation of Naraku: Kagura, the wind sorceress.

The woman's expression clearly showed a mixture of annoyance and hatred for the man before her. For Naraku held her heart and if she ever disobeyed him there was a very real possibility that he would crush it, ending her life in seconds. "Why did you summon for me Naraku?"

"You are to travel to the village hidden by the rivers. The Ninja there have collected several shards of the Shikon Jewel."

"The Shinobi there are said to be skilled in the art of Chakra. Are they not?"

Naraku sounded a tad impatient with his reply. "Is that a problem?" One of Kagura's hands began to tense into a fist. If only the consequences for even considering attacking him weren't as severe as they were, she wouldn't hesitate in the least to do so. He didn't care for her safety. His only concern was completing the collection of the Jewel. "If the reports are correct, my chances of making it to and from that village alive are slim at best."

Naraku's gaze turned to that of a glare. "Are you questioning my judgment? Need I remind you of the consequences?" Kagura's concern showed as her fist began to shake slightly. "No. I know them well."

"If you had let me finish, you would have learned that you have one target to concern yourself with. His name is Kenji, a high ranking Shinobi. The jewel shards are under his protection. If you remove him from the picture, your problems are solved."

Kagura nodded in response. "Understood." Without another word, Kagura closed the panel behind her and stepped outside the mansion. She then reached for a small white leaf kept in her hair and tossed it into the air. It quickly expanded immensely in size as she hopped onto it. Kagura bit her bottom lip in anger as she flew off toward her destination, her thoughts echoing in her mind. "Damn that Naraku. Who the Hell does he think he is?"

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Elsewhere, in a forest near the Hidden River Village, a group of travelers were continuing their journey. In the lead of this group was a young man with long silver hair, a pair of dog like ears and slit amber eyes. His outfit consisted of a white inner kimono, a red hunting jacking with slits at the top of the shoulders to allow freedom of movement and an old fashioned pair of red pants with a red cloth belt tied at the waist. Placed around his neck was a rosary and strapped at his side was a sword which was created from one of his father's fangs. This young man was actually a half-demon named InuYasha.

On InuYasha's right was a 15 year old girl named Kagome. Her dark black hair came down just past her shoulders and the irises of her eyes were colored brown. Her outfit consisted of a green mini skirt, a blouse with a green collar and a red tie/bow, a pair of knee high white socks and a pair of black shoes. Strapped to her back was a large pack filled with various things from her time period including books, food and a first aid kit.　

Next to Kagome was a small boy who appeared to be around the age of 7. However, he was not a normal child. He had reddish-brown hair with a small ponytail, a fluffy fox tail and little fox like feet. His outfit consisted of a fairly standard blue top patterned with white leaves, a vest and a pair of dark blue pants that were tied shut at the bottom.

On InuYasha's left was the human Monk of the group named Miroku. Miroku was 18 with black hair and a small ponytail at the back of his neck. His outfit consisted of a black, long-sleeved kimono which was wrapped by a wide purple cloth. Held in his left hand was a staff.

On Miroku's left was a 16 year old girl with long dark brown hair in a low ponytail. She had dark brown eyes and wore red eye shadow. Her outfit consisted of a pink/purple and white kimono with short sleeves and a green apron over it. Placed over her arms were a pair of leather armguards and she also wore a pair of sandals. Strapped over her left shoulder was a large boomerang. The length of this boomerang roughly equaled out to her height and was known as her Hiraikotsu.

Nestled on Sango's right shoulder was a small white cat demon. Its eyes were pure red while the irises were a straight line of black. On the center of its forehead was a black diamond shape and there were black stripes near the end of its two tails. This cat was named Kirara.

Like most people and demons, InuYasha and his group were diligently searching for the shards of the Shikon Jewel. In fact, most everyone in the group had a horrible past which was either connected to the Jewel or the demon named Naraku. Their major goal was to prevent Naraku from owning the completed jewel. If this were to happen, there would be no end to his destruction.

As the group continued along their path, InuYasha frowned with impatience. His arms were folded and it was clear that he was unhappy to say the least. "Kagome, are you sure we're going the right way? We've been heading in this direction forever!" Kagome shot a glare toward InuYasha. "Yes I'm sure! I'm the one who can sense the presence of the shards … remember?!"

InuYasha smirked and gave a sort of chuckle to her remark. "You could have fooled me. The only thing we've managed to find lately is boredom." Kagome couldn't believe how his rudeness always managed to find a way to anger her. It was even harder to believe that beneath that rough exterior was a kind heart. "Look InuYasha, you're more than welcome to try to find them on your own! It's not like it would be hard for me to go home!"

Shippo jumped up onto Kagome's shoulder and yelled at InuYasha. "Knock if off InuYasha! Some of us don't want Kagome to go home!" InuYasha balled up a fist in anger. "Why you …?!" InuYasha then slammed his fist onto Shippo's head leaving a large bump. "Oww!"

Shippo hollered out in pain, probably a bit more than was necessary. This was Kagome's breaking point. It was bad enough InuYasha had been constantly pressuring her for the past hour, but he had to go and hit Shippo … again. "InuYasha … SIT!" As Kagome screamed this, the rosary around InuYasha's neck emitted a strong glow causing him to crash into the ground, leaving an imprint of his body upon contact.

Miroku raised his hands in a questioning sort of manner and shook his head back and forth. "Why must it always be like this?" Sango smiled. "They wouldn't be themselves if they didn't fight." Miroku gave a strange sort of grin as an idea popped into his head. "That's right." He then reached his free hand down to Sango's behind and patted it. "Something's never change." Sango's face turned beat red. "You dirty Monk!" She then spun around and smacked him across the face.

InuYasha jumped to his feet. "See what you did Kagome. You got the whole group fighting." Kagome placed a hand over her chest in defense. "I got the whole group fighting?! You're the one who's been so impatient all day and decided to hit Shippo."

Miroku decided to stand in between the two in an attempt to break their argument. "Relax you two. We're all just a bit tired from our journey. We have been walking for some time now. I suggest we take a break here." Sango appeared a bit surprised by Miroku's comments. "That's not a bad idea Miroku."

Kagome nodded in agreement. "I am getting hungry and I do have some food we can share." InuYasha sighed. "Well … I suppose I could use a bite. How much longer before we reach the shards?" Kagome raised an eyebrow at him but decided to give an estimation. "I'd say it'd be about twenty minutes or so. Maybe less if Kirara would fly for us."

InuYasha placed a fist into an open hand. "Okay, it's settled. We'll eat first, then we'll move on." With a plan decided, the group found a nice clearing and prepared to share a meal together. They were completely oblivious to the fact that a large white leaf had flown by over head.

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A few moments later, at the Hidden River Village, Sensei Kenji was in the middle of his routine exercise program in the center of his dojo. Beads of sweat dropped down his forehead into a small puddle below him as he lifted his entire body in the air by pushing with one finger. An invisible outline of Chakra covered his entire body as he worked. After finishing his 100th pushup, the sound of a female screaming was heard from outside. Acting quickly, Kenji flipped right side up and rushed out of the building at an incredible speed.

Once outside, he spotted Kagura, a woman he had not come across before. She seemed terrified by something as she ran into him. "What's wrong Miss? What's got you so spooked?" Ever the actresses, she could barely get her words out. "De … De … Demons! Outside the village! They're after the jewel shards!"

Kenji's jaw nearly dropped. "Impossible! They can't possibly know how to reach the village. Stay here Miss. You'll be safe." Kagura gave a half smile. "Thank you so much." Kenji then took off in that same amazing speed toward the theater, where his students were. Kagura could only smile as her one target was nearly out of sight.

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Within mere minutes, Sensei Kenji reached the theater just as Akira and his teammates were stepping out. Akira and Yuri were talking about how cool the play was while Raiden simply listened and nodded from time to time. Their conversation was instantly brought to a stop by Kenji who teleported in front of them. Akira smiled. "Oh, hey Sensei. Did you see the play to?"

Sensei Kenji shook his head. "There's no time for small talk. It's possible that there are demons closing in on the village. We need to go … now." Yuri's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "You've got to be kidding me. No demon has ever actually came close to the village!" Raiden glared. "Until now." Kenji rushed them once again. "Let's go."

Without wasting anytime, Sensei Kenji and his students hurried toward the entrance of the village to meet with the demons.

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Meanwhile, InuYasha and the others had just finished their meal and were about to continue their search for the nearby jewel shards. InuYasha looked toward Kagome as she zipped up her backpack. "You're certain that we're only a few minutes away from the village?" Kagome sighed. "For the last time, I'm positive." InuYasha nodded. "Alright then. We should get go …" Before he could finish his sentence, roughly a dozen shuriken came speeding toward him from all directions. It was such a surprise that he was barely able to avoid them. "What the Hell was that?!"

Sango approached one of the shuriken and examined it without actually touching it. "Those are Shuriken! We're being attacked by a Ninja." InuYasha sniffed the air for a moment. "We're surrounded." Miroku quickly grabbed his staff to prepare to defend himself. "If they have us surrounded, they could be anywhere. Ninja are very skilled at concealing themselves." InuYasha drew his blade which doubled in width. "They picked the wrong day to mess with us!"

Hiding in a nearby tree, Akira (now wearing his headgear) was surprised to find that the demon in the center of this group held a massive sword. His thoughts echoed in his mind as he prepared his next move. "So … he likes to play with large weapons does he. In that case …" Akira noticed a tree behind InuYasha and decided to make his move. He clasped his hands together in the formation of a gun which was pointed upward. A thin line of chakra outlined his body as he vanished from his spot. Seconds later, he reappeared on a tree branch behind InuYasha. He then reached into a pocket and pulled out a black shuriken. If his face could be seen, a smile would have appeared. "Let's see how he likes this."

Akira aimed toward his target who yelled impatiently. "Cowards! Come out and fight!" Akira tossed his shuriken which instantly grew to half the size of Sango's Hiraikotsu. Miroku screamed to get his attention. "InuYasha, behind you!" InuYasha leapt into the air just in time to avoid being sliced by the weapon. "That all you got!" To InuYasha's surprise, the Shuriken acted as a boomerang and circled around at an incredible speed. InuYasha's eyes grew wide with surprise as the Shuriken nearly cut him.

Sango was able to hurl her Hiraikotsu to meet with the Shuriken, thus canceling out Akira's attack. Akira clenched his teeth together in anger. "These demons must be holding the humans captive. We have to save them." At that moment, several kunai were tossed in a circle around InuYasha while a cloud of smoke covered Shippo which caused him to pass out. Kagome screamed with concern. "InuYasha! Shippo!"

Miroku's thoughts echoed as he realized what they must be thinking. "They think we're being held against our will." Miroku tried his best to get their attention. "You've got it all wrong! These demons are our friends!" Kenji was surprised at the Monk's comments. After all, why would a Monk be friends with a pair of demons? Sango tried to back up Miroku. "He's right! Please, just give us a moment to explain!"

Akira thought about it for a moment. It seemed like a strange ploy at first, but there was something about the girl he was certain he could trust. Against his better judgment Akira revealed his position to Sango by teleporting in front of her. Yuri was surprised by this action. "What is he doing?!" Raiden was thinking the same thing. "He's going to get himself killed!"

Sango was startled by the sudden appearance. "Normally, I wouldn't have done this being as it's against the Ninja code. But something's telling me to give you a chance." InuYasha smirked. "Yeah, maybe I don't trust you!" InuYasha prepared to move but was stopped by another round of Shuriken and Kunai. Akira turned his attention briefly toward him. "I wouldn't move if I were you. You're small friend could be taken at any moment. And those shots have all been warnings."

InuYasha growled in anger as Akira turned his attention back toward Sango. "Why are you traveling with these demons? Aren't you being held captive?" Sango shook her head. "No. We're traveling as a group to find shards of the Shikon Jewel." Akira nodded. "That's what we figured. But we couldn't possibly let a demon like him get a hold of them." Sango waved her hands in a negative sort of fashion as she pleaded her case further. "You don't understand. We're trying to prevent a demon named Naraku from collecting any more shards."

Akira raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Naraku?" Sango nodded. "Yes. He already has several of the shards and the jewel is nearing completion. If that happens …" Akira finished her sentence for her. "… he could never be defeated!" Kenji's voice sounded from his hiding place. "How do we know that you all aren't connected to this Naraku?" Miroku looked down toward his left hand, the hand which had been cursed with a Wind Tunnel by Naraku. "Because our pasts have each been affected by a terrible event caused by Naraku."

Akira's entire thoughts on this situation changed with this one remark. Akira turned his attention toward the trees where his Sensei and teammates were hiding. "Sensei, I think they're telling us the truth." Kenji nodded in agreement from his spot and revealed his location to Akira and the group. He was soon followed by Raiden and Yuri.

Akira turned his attention back toward Sango. "I apologize for the misunderstanding." He looked down toward the sleeping Shippo. "And for knocking out you friend." Sango shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I would have done the same thing if I were you. I am a demon slayer."

Akira was surprised to learn this. "You're a demon slayer?" Sango nodded. Sensei Kenji frowned. "I just don't get it. That woman was determined you all were a threat to the village." Kagome questioned his statement. "What woman?"

"She never spoke her name. I do remember what she looked like though."

Kenji took a moment to describe her which seemed to upset InuYasha almost instantly. "Kagura!"

Akira appeared interested. "You know this woman?" Kagome nodded. "She's Naraku's female incarnation."

"He's able to produce different incarnations of himself?!" Akira questioned.

Kagome became concerned. "That's right. And if Kagura is in your village …" Sensei Kenji knew where this was going. "The Jewel Shards!" InuYasha looked toward Kagome. "I guess you were right about them being nearby." Kagome pointed a finger in his face. "I told you!"

Akira looked toward his Sensei. "We have to stop her! Before it's too late!" Kenji nodded. "Let's move."

Just as Kenji and his team were about to teleport, InuYasha stopped them. "You'll never defeat her on your own!" Kenji raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"

"She's a wind sorceress who can control the dead. If she's able to kill enough people, she could use them against you." Sango agreed. "Let us help you."

Kenji thought about it for a moment. He wasn't sure it would be a good idea for him to allow a demon into their village. Akira pushed the idea forward. "Sensei, we don't have much time to think about it. Who knows what's happening in the village right now? If they're offering their help, I say we take it." Kenji nodded. "Agreed. Let's go."

Sango motioned for Kirara to leap off from her shoulder. Once she did, she grew in size. If she were to stand up on her hind legs, she would have been taller than InuYasha. Sango then hopped onto Kirara's back while Kagome handed Shippo to Miroku. He then jumped behind Sango while InuYasha helped Kagome climb up onto his back. The team then rushed toward the Hidden River Village.

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Meanwhile, in the center of the village, Kagura had found the home of Kenji. Because of his reputation, the village had decided that the shards should be under his protection. Little did she know that Kenji's home was actually 2 in 1. Akira's father Hiro was just as powerful as Kenji. Because of this, the two shared the same responsibility.

Hiro Yoshikawa was in his late 30s and had dark green eyes. His short black hair was covered by the head gear that he wore with his dark green Shinobi Shozoku. Due to the fact that his Chakra control was so well mastered, Kagura found herself in a battle she had not expected. While she may have managed to slay a few les experienced Ninja, she could not manage to hit Hiro.

He was able to teleport right before any of her wind blades could reach him. With a single wipe of her fan, she was able to fire off multiple crescent-shaped blades of wind which would easily kill a normal opponent. However, she found that this move was proving useless at the moment as most of the blades were either cancelled out by the throwing of various Ninja tools. It was also made clear by Hiro that if she were to be hit by one of his Shuriken, a fatal poison would flow through her veins with the possibility of ending her life quickly.

As Hiro fought off more of her blades, he could only taunt the sorceress. "Why don't you just give up?! You're only postponing the inevitable!" This statement only angered Kagura. "Stand still and die!" Kagura held her fan close to her as she called out "Dance of the Dragon" and performed a swift slicing motion which created three tornadoes between her and Hiro. As soon as she directed the tornadoes to move toward Hiro, they were suddenly pulled upward by a mysterious vacuum like suction.

Hiro and Kagura were distracted briefly by this sudden interruption and jerked their heads to find Miroku sucking the tornadoes into his Wind Tunnel. Once they had vanished, Miroku covered his Wind Tunnel and InuYasha leaped into the fray. Kagura glared in hatred. "Damn! It's the mutt!" InuYasha returned the same feelings. "You can forget about collecting the jewel shards! They're coming with us!"

Hiro cursed at the intervention by this group, accompanied by demons. "Damn it! How many of you are there!" At that moment, Kenji and his students appeared by Hiro's side. "Relax Hiro. They're on our side." Hiro couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You've got to be kidding!"

Kagura bit her bottom lip as her odds of survival were looking grim. She was going to have to act fast if she were going to take the shards to Naraku. "Damn! That mutt has to ruin everything!" With one last option available to her, she raised her fan and shouted "Dance of the Dead!" The two dozen corpses of the Ninja she had managed to slay slowly started to raise to their feet, moaning like zombies.

Hiro seemed most uneasy at this turn of events. "What the Hell? How are they alive?!" InuYasha glared. "This witch has the ability to animate the dead. They're under her control." Miroku and Sango leaped off from Kirara's back and rushed to help while Kagome attended to Shippo. Kenji turned toward Akira. "You three help the others keep the corpses at bay while Hiro and I take care of the witch." Akira and his teammates nodded. "You got it Sensei."

InuYasha was about to question Kenji's judgment, but before he could even get a word out, Hiro and Kenji teleported from their spots and appeared before Kagura. At that moment, the corpses began their assault on InuYasha and the others. One of the Ninja threw a kunai which Miroku was forced to quickly block with his staff. He then countered by bopping the Ninja over the head.

Several of the corpses were keeping InuYasha busy, while one of them attempted to grab Sango from behind just as she had knocked one to the ground. The corpse was quickly kicked to the side by Akira who was then attacked by two shuriken from behind. Sango had seen the weapons coming and pulled him down with her in attempt to return the save. This left the two in an awkward position on the ground, with Akira literally on top of Sango. Their expressions quickly changed to serious as three corpses prepared to dive over them. The two jumped to their feet and easily repelled their attacks.

Another pair of corpses changed their attention to Kagome who was forced to draw her bow. She took quick aim and fired at one of the corpses who fell to the ground upon being pierced with the arrow. The second corpse managed to reach her before she could pull out another and grabbed a hold of her leg. Kirara attempted to protect her by flying away, but the corpse was slowly pulling Kagome off from her back. "InuYasha!!"

She let out a high pitched wail for help which was quickly answered. InuYasha leapt to her location and removed the corpse with ease. "Thanks." InuYasha smirked. "You have to be more careful." At that moment, two corpses were sent flying behind InuYasha thanks to Raiden and Yuri. Raiden couldn't help but return InuYasha's comment. "You should take your own advice!"

Meanwhile, Hiro and Kenji were being forced to dodge or deflect numerous wind blades once more. They each were doing fairly well at retaliating with their tools, but the blades were starting to become dangerous as she was no longer simply throwing them forward. If they teleported she would spin around causing the blades to fly in all directions. In fact, one or two of them had nearly cut the two in half. This was shown by the cuts in their clothing.

Kenji realized they would have to try something different if they were going to put a stop to this madness. Thinking fast, Kenji clasped his hands together in the formation of a gun and teleported behind Kagura. He reached into a pocket for a weapon just as Kagura spun around and shouted "Dance of the Dragon!" Several massive tornadoes rushed to meet with him and sent him spinning to the ground upon contact.

Hiro screamed in anger at this action. "No! Kenji!" Akira turned to see his Sensei unconscious on the ground. "Sensei!!"

He then pulled out a shuriken and teleported behind Kagura. "You'll pay you witch!" Kagura uttered a laugh. "You're next!" She raised her fan to attack once more only to have it knocked out of her hand by Akira's shuriken. This caused the corpses to collapse to the ground. "The next one will remove your head!" She appeared surprised by the sudden accuracy of Akira. "Damn!" Realizing her chances, Kagura pulled a white leaf from her hair, threw it into the air and hopped onto it as it increased in size.

Akira glared with hatred. "Oh no you don't!" Akira pulled out another Shuriken which increased in size as well. He then tossed it toward Kagura as she started to fly away. However, she had gained enough height to dodge the shuriken which blazed past underneath her leaf. Kagura couldn't help but laugh at the futile attempt, but was more than surprised as the shuriken made a return trip like that of a boomerang. This time, it just barely missed her head.

The shuriken returned to Akira and returned to it's normal size. "Damn you Kagura! I won't forget this!" Akira turned toward Kenji's location. Hiro and his teammates had circled around him as his father checked for life signs. Akira rushed to them. "Father … is he …" Hiro simply bowed his head in sadness. "This can't be true!"

One of InuYasha's hands tightened into a fist. "Damn that Naraku! He has to be behind everything!" A mixture of different emotions overcame Akira. He had no idea what he was going to do now. His Sensei was no longer there for him. Sure the jewel shards were protected, but what was to stop Kagura from returning. Or Naraku from coming in her place? Naraku. The thought of the name was enough to completely tick him off. His hands tightened into fists which shook slightly.

Without a word to anyone, Akira rushed off into the distance. Yuri was concerned for her friend. "Someone should talk to him." Sango approached them. "Please … let me. I know what he's going through." Hiro nodded, appearing to understand. "If I know my son, he's probably in the forest, by the river to the east.

Sango turned to Kirara and hopped on her back after Kagome who was still holding Shippo hopped off. She asked Kirara to fly in the direction that Hiro had pointed out.

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After a few moments, she found the area where Akira was said to have gone. She came to a landing in a clearing and turned to the river which Akira was standing over. His headgear had been removed, his hands were clasped in the gun like formation and his eyes were closed. Sango approached him quietly.

"Akira … I know how you must be feeling. It's horrible to lose someone you care about. Especially to the hands of a demon like Kagura." Akira turned toward Sango, nearly losing control over his Chakra. He noticed tears starting to form in her eyes and realized there was more to what she was trying to tell him. He left his location over the river and picked a spot in the clearing to sit, motioning for Sango to join him.

After she did, there was a moment of silence before either of them spoke. "Kagura hurt you as well … didn't she?" Sango bowed her head. "My town was small, most of us were demon slayers. We never came across a demon we couldn't stop … until Naraku appeared. He tricked us. He …" She placed her hands over her lap as tear drops started to fall. "He took control over my brother Kohaku and forced him to kill everyone in our village … even our father."

Akira was left speechless by Sango's story. He didn't know what to say, but he knew he wanted to comfort her. He placed an arm around her and motioned for her to lay her head on his shoulder. She seemed surprised by this at first, but did so and cried. This caused tears to form in Akira's eyes as the two tried to comfort each other.

It was several moments before either of them were able to speak again. But Sango wanted to know what Akira planned to do. "What will you do now?" Akira bowed his head. "I don't know. I want to protect the jewel shards and the village … but I can't let Naraku and Kagura get away with what they have done."

"Why don't you come with us?"

Akira appeared as if he didn't know how to answer her question at first. "… do you thinking InuYasha and the others would be okay with that? After the misunderstanding my team had …"

Sango shook her head. "I'm sure they'd welcome you. Besides … you're not the only one who was tricked into believing InuYasha was your enemy." Akira turned his attention back toward Sango. "Don't tell me …" She simply nodded in response. Akira thought about her question again. If he was able to take the jewel shards with them, not only could he protect the village, but he could help Sango and the others defeat Naraku and all of his incarnations once and for all. He'd also be able to spend more time with Sango.

"Okay … count me in." Sango seemed pleased to hear this. "Great! Welcome to the group." Akira smiled. "I guess we should get back to InuYasha and the others. They should know about this." Sango nodded. "Let's go."

Akira followed Sango to Kirara's location and the two hopped onto her back. They then flew toward their destination.

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Once they reached InuYasha and the others, they found that the corpses had been removed, including Kenji's and Shippo had awoken. InuYasha seemed impatient as always. "What took you two so long?" Kagome frowned at InuYasha's comment. "InuYasha! Why are you always so rude?!" Shippo nodded. "Yeah … they were probably sharing a moment." InuYasha smirked. "That was more than a moment."

Sango blushed slightly, but quickly brought up their decision. "Akira's decided to join our group." Raiden and Yuri seemed surprised by this turn of events, Yuri more so than Raiden. "Are you sure about this Akira?" Akira nodded in response. "Yes. It seems to be the best way to protect the village from Naraku. In fact …" He turned to his father. "I was thinking … it'd probably be best if we gave the jewel shards to InuYasha."

It was Hiro's turn to appear surprised by one of his son's comments. "Protect the shards from one demon, by giving them to another? How would that help us?" Kagome became defensive. "InuYasha is nothing like Naraku or Kagura. He may have a rough exterior, but he's really a nice guy." Miroku nodded. "Besides … Naraku himself could come for the shards. If you thought Kagura was a handful … then you'd have no chance against him."

Hiro thought about it for a moment and turned toward his son. "Are you certain about this son? Do you really trust in this group that much?" Akira turned toward Sango and nodded before returning his attention to his father. "Yes, I do." Hiro sighed. "Alright … I'll hand the shards over to you then. Be sure to keep them safe." Hiro vanished from his spot for a few moments. When he returned, he held six shards in his hand. He then handed him over to Akira."

InuYasha cheered triumphantly. "Alright! That's more shards than I expected!" Miroku changed the subject to decided their next move. "Well … now that we have the shards we should plan our next destination." Hiro thought for a moment. "There's a village to the north of here. It's possible that there could be a shard there."

InuYasha slammed a fist into an open hand. "Say no more. Let's get going." The group agreed and after saying their farewells, were on the road to their next destination.

(To be continued...)


	2. Chapter 02: The Mysterious Dark Lord

**Chapter Two**

**The Mysterious Dark Lord**

**A day had passed since Akira Yoshikawa had joined InuYasha's group. The sun was shining brightly as they continued their search for the sacred Jewel Shards. It wasn't long before the group found themselves in the village that Hiro had mentioned. InuYasha couldn't help himself from questioning his judgment. After all, the village almost resembled that of a ghost town. There was hardly anyone in sight. "There's not a jewel shard in sight … is there Kagome?"**

**Kagome sighed in disappointment. "No. And after all that walking!" InuYasha rolled his eyes. "Well … we might as well move on." Miroku nodded. "I agree."**

**Just as the group was about to turn around, they over heard a conversation between two of the locals who had just appeared from a rather large building. They were each men, but one was in his elder years. He had short white hair, blue eyes and wore a white and blue colored kimono. The younger man's hair was covered as he wore the armor of a Samurai. They both appeared to be troubled by something. The Samurai folded his arms as he spoke. "Ever since he arrived, he's been nothing but trouble!"**

**The elder seemed to agree, but he motioned for the Samurai to keep his comments hushed. "I know. He's has to be the one who is responsible for the disappearances of the women of our village. But since we do not have enough solid evidence to prove this … there's nothing we can do."**

**Miroku's interest was instantly captured once he realized women were in danger. "Excuse me kind sir. Did you say that your women have gone missing?" The Samurai was startled by Miroku's intervention and prepared to draw his blade, when he realized it was simply a Monk who had questioned him. "I apologize Monk. You startled me."**

**Miroku shook his head. "It's quite alright. Now … what has you two so upset?" The Samurai sheathed his weapon. "It's as you heard, our women have been disappearing. We've sent numerous search parties to find them, but they never show up."**

**The elder bowed his head. "I fear for my daughter's safety." Miroku nodded in understanding. "I understand. We'd be happy to help you in your search. We won't ask for any payment in return. All we need …" Sango finished his sentence for him. "… is food and a place to stay. Right, Monk?"**

**Miroku seemed taken aback at first, but nodded. "Err … Right."**

**The elder seemed most pleased at Miroku's offer. "Oh, thank you. We are in your debt." Kagome smiled. "It's no trouble. Do you have any idea or clues as to where the girls may be?" The samurai seemed to be angered by the question. "We're almost positive. There haven't been any disappearances in our village until our leader was replaced by a man named Lucarda." This perked Sango's interest. "Replaced? What happened to your previous leader?**

**The elder answered her question with a sort of sadness in his voice. "He passed on to the next life. Lucarda was named the elder's successor." The Samurai nodded. "Though he is not nearly as trust worthy as his predecessor. He's made life much harder for us."**

**Akira folded his arms. "This Lucarda is sounding more and more like our guy." Shippo agreed. "Why hasn't anyone questioned him until now?" The elder sighed. "Because … most are too afraid to question him. After all … he's our village leader. And if he is responsible for their disappearances, who knows what would happen to a person who pointed a finger in his direction?"**

**InuYasha slammed a fist into an open palm. "If it turns out that he is behind this, we'll just have to take care of him." The elder seemed relieved that there was a chance they wouldn't have to live under someone like Lucarda for much longer. "You're more than welcome to stay at my daughter's inn."**

**This perked Miroku's spirits. "Thank you kind sir. We'll make sure to do whatever we can to protect her and the other women of your village." Shippo leaned in toward InuYasha. "He sure acts quick when it comes to this sort of thing, doesn't he?" InuYasha folded his arms. "Uh-huh."**

**The elder led InuYasha and the others to his daughter's Inn. Once they were settled in, InuYasha questioned what their plan would be. "How are we going to prove that this guy is behind this?" Miroku placed the thumb and pointer finger of his left hand over his chin as he thought for a moment. "I suggest we come up with a trap." Kagome seemed nervous at this idea. " But how? Do you plan on using one of us as bait?"**

**Akira nodded. "Well … the villagers did mention that only girls have been disappearing. But I don't think we should endanger …" InuYasha cut him off. "… Which means we use Kagome or Sango as bait." This statement angered Kagome. "I don't think so, InuYasha! We're not going to just sit around and wait for something to happen to us! What if these girls are being killed?! InuYasha smirked. "We'd be there to help protect you so you have nothing to worry about."**

**Sango appeared as concerned as Kagome. "What if whoever's responsible for this notices that you are around? I don't think they'd take that lightly." InuYasha started to become annoyed. "Do you have a better idea Sango?!" Sango was silent for a moment before replying. "… No …"**

**Akira narrowed his eyes. It was clear he didn't like this plan. "Look InuYasha, Kagome and Sango have plenty of reason to be concerned about this plan. I for one, agree that it's too dangerous. Sure … it may work, but I don't want to see Kagome or Sango get hurt." InuYasha mumbled something under his breath. "You just don't want to see Sango get hurt."**

**Akira placed an open hand over his ear. "What was that InuYasha?" InuYasha glared as he responded. "Nothing!" Miroku attempted to stop the pointless argument. "We're not going to get anything solved if we sit here and fight with each other all day. After all … we did promise the villagers to return their women safely to them."**

**Sango smirked. "You seem rather enthused about this mission, Monk." Miroku shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about." Shippo slapped a hand over his forehead. "Why don't we just give the plan a try?" InuYasha nodded in agreement. "For once, we agree about something Shippo. Let's do it." Kagome waved her hands in front of her in a panicked sort of state. "Wait … don't we get a say in this?"**

**InuYasha tried his best to reassure her. "Come on, Kagome. You know we wouldn't let anything happen to you two." Kagome sighed, realizing there was no way she was going to win this argument, even with Akira backing her up. " … Oh, fine! But I'm still not happy about it."**

**Miroku smiled and nodded. "Very well then." Although it wasn't unanimous, the plan had been decided. Kagome was to be used as bait to lure whoever was responsible for the disappearances into showing themselves. If it failed, Sango would be the back up. Either way, the group would be watching and waiting to see what happened.**

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**That night, the group asked Kagome to wait in an abandoned alley while they hid in the shadows. Akira turned toward Miroku. "Do you really think this will work Miroku?" Miroku nodded. "I'm positive." At that moment, a thick gray fog appeared from no where. Seconds later, Kagome's scream for InuYasha filled the air. InuYasha returned the scream for Kagome and leapt from his hiding spot, heading deep into the fog where Kagome was supposed to be waiting.**

**Sango attempted to disperse the fog in front of her by waving a hand in front of her face. "What's happening?! I can't see anything!"**

**Akira's concern for this plan, seemed to be coming true. He tried to fight the fog to find Sango's position, accidentally stepping on one of Shippo's feet in the process. He screamed in response as Akira apologized. After finding her by accidentally bumping into her, the fog faded and Kagome was nowhere to be found. InuYasha called out her name yet there was no response. **

**Miroku's expression showed his concern for their friend. "Someone must have taken her in the midst of the fog." InuYasha shot an angry glare toward Miroku. "Thanks for stating the obvious Miroku!" Shippo smiled as an idea came to mind. "Why don't you just follow her scent InuYasha?"**

**InuYasha started to sniff the air. "I'm working on it Shippo!" After a moment he looked toward the north. "This way!" InuYasha then led the group as they followed Kagome's scent. After a moment or two, they found themselves at a large, dark looking mansion with a large staircase leading up to the entrance. The scent seemed to stop there which InuYasha was quick to point out. "Damn it … I lost her."**

**Akira was quick to point the obvious. "She must be inside." Shippo became curious as he examined the building before them. "I wonder if the village leader lives here." Sango nodded. "I'd say so." Miroku rose his staff. "Well then … I say we let ourselves in." Akira nodded. "Right."**

**After a fast climb, Akira went to open the doors when they flew open by themselves. Standing before them was an old man with gray hair. He was wearing a black and white robe and was assumed to be one of the mansion's servants. "Who are you people? What do you want?" InuYasha was quick to turn his question into another. "Where's Kagome old man?! I know she's in here!"**

**The servant appeared confused. "Kagome? I am unfamiliar with that name. Please leave before my master returns." Sango raised an eyebrow. "Your master?" Akira followed her question with one his own. "Your master wouldn't happen to be Lucarda would he?" The servant nodded. "Yes and he does not like uninvited guests." He made a shooing sort of motion, as if swatting at a fly. "You should leave … now."**

**Not one to give up quickly, Miroku spoke up. "Sir, our friend Kagome was just with us until a strange fog appeared. She vanished but we were able to follow her scent. It didn't fade until we reached this mansion." The servant shook his head. "I am sorry for the loss of your friend, but I can assure you that there is no Kagome here." He pointed outward. "Now leave, before I have to inform the authorities."**

**InuYasha, an angry expression on his face, leaned in toward the man and placed a finger on his chest. "You listen to me old man! I'm not going to let you people have Kagome! Now let us pass or I'll …" Sango placed a hand on one of InuYasha's shoulders. "InuYasha! Attacking this man is not going to help us find Kagome. If he informs the authorities, we'll have to explain ourselves. Let's find another way."**

**InuYasha threw his arm down in anger. "Fine! We'll be back old man!" The group left the mansion and returned to the inn. As they were about to step through the entrance, several large bats flew by over head. Once inside, they found the elder in a heap on the floor. A shocked expression overcame Akira. "We have to help him!" The group rushed forward and Akira helped the old man to his feet. "What happened here?"**

**The elder held onto his chest in pain. "Everything happened so fast. First those creatures, then the fog …" At that moment, he freaked out, as if a light had suddenly been clicked on inside his mind. "My daughter! Where is she?" Akira clasped his hands together in the formation of a gun and pointed them upward. "I'll check." An outline of Chakra covered his body as he teleported through the various rooms in the inn. InuYasha aided his search as he rushed down the halls.**

**Moments later, the two returned without the girl. InuYasha frowned. "Looks like she's gone." The elder screamed. "No! Eiko!" Sango bowed her head. "It seems like you weren't too far off in suspecting Lucarda." The elder questioned her. "What do you mean?"**

**Akira answered for her. "Our friend Kagome went missing. We followed her scent to his mansion. We weren't exactly welcomed there." Shippo nodded. "One of the servants turned us away as soon as we arrived." The elder dropped to his knees and slammed a fist onto the floor. "That proves it! Lucarda has been behind the disappearances all along! Now he has my daughter! And your friend.**

**Shippo noticed that the Samurai who was speaking with him earlier was no longer there either. "Where's the Samurai? Has he gone to look for your daughter by himself?" The elder nodded. "I can only hope he hasn't been killed in the process."**

**InuYasha shook his head. "We've got to find away into his mansion!" Akira nodded. "Preferably without being seen. Otherwise, we'll just be turned away again." Miroku turned toward Akira. "Akira … can't you teleport inside his mansion?" Akira shook his head. "I'm afraid not. You see … I have to actually see where I'm teleporting … otherwise the outcome could be rather grim."**

"**Such as?" Miroku questioned further.**

**Akira frowned. "Well … I could get stuck in a wall."**

**InuYasha smirked. "Well that's a useless ability."**

**Miroku bowed his head. "We'll have to use our back up plan." Akira instantly disagreed. "We are not using Sango as bait! We thought we'd be able to help Kagome and guess what? She was taken right from under our noses!" InuYasha placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "That was because of the fog. Now that we know about it, I'll just blow it away with my wind scar." Akira wasn't fond of that idea either. "And risk hitting Sango."**

**Sango was touched that he was concerned for her and realized he was right. If she was used as bait, there would most likely be a repeat performance. " There must be a different way we can do this. If our plan failed once, the chances of it working a second time aren't very good. Maybe it'd be possible for us to find a hidden entrance into the mansion."**

**Miroku placed the thumb and pointer finger from his free hand over his chin and thought about that statement. "But if we start snooping around, there's a very high chance of being found. After all … InuYasha did warn that we'd be back." Akira shot a glare toward InuYasha who was quick to question him. "What?!" At that moment, Sango got an idea. "Wait a minute! Shippo … you could use your fox magic to transform yourself. Then you would be able to get in without any problems."**

**Shippo's surprise was easily readable by his panicked words. "Wh … Why me?!"**

"**That's simple. If you transform yourself into a girl, you'd be let in easily. We can't go because we've already been seen. But a new girl asking for a place to stay … couldn't possibly be turned away."**

**Shippo realized the idea was a good one, but he still wasn't sure. "Wouldn't I have to go in alone?" Sango shook her head. "Of course not. You'd simply be a distraction. Once you're inside, the rest of us will be able to sneak in to search for Kagome."**

**Miroku nodded. "That's an excellent idea Sango. But I don't think the entire group should sneak in. If too many of us are in, there's still a chance of one of us being found." Akira volunteered for the mission. "Why don't InuYasha and I go in after Shippo? With his sense of smell and strength combined with my stealth skills and ninja abilities, we should be able to find her in no time."**

**InuYasha nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me." Miroku seemed to agree as well. "Very well, it's decided. We should start heading toward the mansion now. Once there, Shippo can transform himself. Then Akira and InuYasha will move in unseen." Akira nodded. "What are we waiting for? Let's go." **

**With that, InuYasha and the others returned to the mansion. Once there, Shippo used his fox magic to transform himself into a beautiful young girl with long black hair. Miroku couldn't help but smile as he saw the perfect transformation. "Excellent disguise Shippo. If I didn't know it were you, I'd ask you to bear my children." As a response to this statement, Sango took her Hiraikotsu and slammed it upside Miroku's head. "There's no time for your remarks Monk. We have to save Kagome."**

**Miroku rubbed his head to try and stop the pain. "Right … Sorry." With that, the others went into hiding while Shippo climbed the stairs of the mansion and knocked on the door. The double doors flew open revealing a tall man with long black hair. The irises of his eyes were almost the same shade of red eyes as Kagura's. His skin seemed to be somewhat pale and his outfit consisted of a full length black robe with a black cloak and a pair of black shoes. "Who dares disturb me?"**

**Thinking fast, Shippo replied, trying his best to sound like a girl. "Um, excuse me. My name is … Sango. I'm looking for a place to stay. I don't want to impose, but I'm very tired and I'm new to this village." Lucarda eyed Shippo carefully. After a moment, he answered. "I see. Well … I couldn't possibly turn away such a beautiful young girl. Come right in my dear. Make yourself at home."**

**Shippo appeared nervous but went along with the plan. "Thank you, sir." With a welcoming gesture, Lucarda led Shippo into the mansion, allowing the doors to close behind them. After waiting a moment, InuYasha turned his head toward Akira. "Let's go." Akira question him. "I hope you know we can't just march through the front door." InuYasha glared. "No kidding, wise guy."**

"**Are you picking up Kagome's sent?"**

**InuYasha nodded. "I think so, but something different about it."**

"**She must be in trouble. We have to hurry."**

**InuYasha shrugged his shoulders. "Then what are we standing around here for? We've got to get inside before our cover is blown. Shippo's transformation won't last forever, you know." Akira nodded. "Let's check around back."**

**Without another thought, Akira and InuYasha headed toward the back of the mansion in order to find a way inside. After searching for a moment, Akira found a hidden entrance by feeling along the sides of a wall. Once the door slid open, the two stepped inside. As they prepared to search the mansion, the floor underneath them opened and the two found themselves falling down a chute. After coming to a stop, they landed in a dark room with several coffins placed around in no particular order.**

**InuYasha rubbed the back of his head. "What the Hell happened?!" Akira shook his head, disappointed. "I can't believe I didn't expect that. Apparently they don't like people entering through the back door either." InuYasha glared. "How are we supposed to get out of here?"**

**Akira returned the glare. "If you'd stop complaining for two minutes, maybe we could find a way out!" InuYasha sighed. "Sheesh. No need to get so pushy. Besides, I probably would have found Kagome and left by know if I'd gone …" Akira cut him off. "InuYasha, be quite."**

**InuYasha didn't take this sudden command well. "What?! Who do you think you are?" Akira repeated himself more forcefully this time. "Seriously! I don't think we're alone." InuYasha glanced around the area. "What are you talking about? There's no one down here but us."**

**Akira's attention was fixated on the coffins surrounding them. "Then why are the lids on the coffins rising?" InuYasha turned in shock. "What?!" Several pale faced girls rose from the coffins. Their arms were pointed towards them and their mouths opened to reveal their sharp fangs. "What the Hell?!"**

**Akira's eyes were wide with shock. "The girls from the village! They've been turned into demons!" InuYasha returned the same shock. "Is that even possible?!" Akira nodded slightly. "Apparently!" InuYasha quickly turned serious as he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Looks like we've got a fight on our hands." The Tetsusaiga grew in width as he freed it from its sheath.**

**Akira shook his head. "InuYasha, we can't kill them! They're innocent girls!" InuYasha raised an eyebrow. "Then what do you suggest we do?! Let them kill us?" Akira thought as quick as possible. "Maybe if we hit them just enough to knock them out, we'd be able to find our way out of here." InuYasha realized there was no time to argue. "Fine!' InuYasha's sword lost its extra width as he placed it back in his sheath. The two then faced the girls and prepared to fight. Two of the girls flew into the air and appeared directly in front of Akira, bearing their fangs. Thinking fast, Akira evaded their attacks and landed a single punch into each of their stomachs. This was enough to knock them each on their backs, but it wasn't enough to count them out.**

**Meanwhile, InuYasha was doing his best to evade three of the girls without causing too much physical harm to them. In a defensive maneuver, InuYasha sliced at one of the girl's across the stomach with his claws and narrowly missed being bitten by another. Akira quickly called out to him. "InuYasha, we've got to get out of here! We don't know Shippo's condition and we can't keep this up forever!" InuYasha threw another of the girls to the ground before responding. "I'm a little busy at the moment!"**

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**Meanwhile, while Akira and InuYasha fought off the group of girls, Lucarda was showing Shippo to his room. After climbing a spiral shaped staircase, Lucarda took a left turn and headed down a dark hallway, lit only by candle light. Shippo couldn't help but feel creped out, which he admitted silently. "This place is a little creepy." Lucarda questioned him. "What was that my dear?"**

**Thinking fast, Shippo replied in a way that would not ruin his disguise. "Oh, I said this place is … dreamy." Lucarda smiled. "Why thank you. I'm glad you feel that way. My bride to be did not share your opinion at first." Shippo raised an eye brow. "Your bride? You're getting married?" Lucarda nodded. "Of course and to such a lovely girl. Her name is Kagome." Shippo couldn't help but scream. "Kagome?!"**

**Lucarda appeared confused. "Is something wrong?" Shippo quickly realized his mistake and shook his head. "No … No. Everything's fine. It's just, that's such a … pretty name." Lucarda smiled. "I think so to." Lucarda came to a sudden stop and turned to face Shippo. "Here you are my dear. You can rest here for the night. Just call for one of my servants if you need anything."**

**Shippo bowed. "Thank you." Shippo started to enter the room, but turned suddenly. "Um, do you think I could meet this Kagome? I'd really like to talk with her." Lucarda seemed surprised by his sudden question. "I'm sure she'd love to talk with you, but she's not at home. After all, she has a wedding to prepare for so she's … tied up at the moment." Shippo frowned. "I … see. Thank you for everything."**

**Lucarda bowed his head. "Anytime my dear." He then turned to leave just as Shippo's transformation began to wear off. Thinking quickly, Shippo rushed into the room and closed the door behind him. "Now what should I do? Lucarda has Kagome and wants to marry her. I hope Akira and InuYasha got in okay.**

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**In another area of the mansion, Kagome was tied to a bed, struggling to break free of her confinements. During her struggle, the door to the room burst open revealing Lucarda. She yelled with disgust for him. **"**You! You'll be sorry! Just wait till my friends get here!" Lucarda chuckled at her threat. "My dear Kagome. You still believe your friends will be able to save you?" He shook his head. "How pathetic." If you friends dared to step one foot into this mansion, my army of demon girls would dispose of them."**

**Kagome glared. "The villagers were right to think you were behind their disappearances." Lucarda simply smirked. "Like it matters. They would have no chance of stopping me. After all, I am no mere mortal and soon you will become my bride." Lucarda approached Kagome and placed a golden necklace around her with the symbol of a bat. "I'll never marry you! Get this stupid necklace off me!"**

**Lucarda smiled. "I'm afraid you don't have much choice. I can make you very happy or miserable. It's all up to you. As for the necklace, think of it as a token of my affection." Kagome continued her struggle. "This isn't fair! If you wanted to make me happy, why am I tied up?!"**

"**To keep you from escaping of course. Once you are my bride, you won't have to worry about restraints." At that moment, the shriek of several girls echoed throughout the mansion. "It appears your friends are here after all. I shall leave you for now. Once your friends are dead, I will return." Kagome screamed. "Leave them alone you monster!"**

"**I would if I could, but I can't have them ruin my plans. Now can I?" Lucarda then vanished, leaving Kagome alone.**

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**Meanwhile, Akira and InuYasha had managed to knock out each girl without endangering their lives. Akira sighed with relief. "Finally. That was harder than I thought." InuYasha nodded. "You should have just let me use my Wind Scar. We'd have defeated them a long time ago."**

"**InuYasha, please don't start. Besides, Kagome wouldn't have allowed you to attack them with your Tetsusaiga either." He looked around the room for a moment. "Now, how do we get out of here?" At that moment, a disembodied voice echoed throughout the room. "Death is your only escape from this mansion." ****Seconds later, Lucarda appeared before them. InuYasha pointed his blade toward him. "Who the Hell are you?" Lucarda outstretched both of his arms at his sides. "My name is Lucarda, the owner of this mansion. You are unwelcome guests and have disturbed my servants." Akira glared. "You mean the girls you brainwashed into thinking they were your servants?" InuYasha was quick to ask for Kagome. "What have you done with Kagome?! If you don't tell me where she is right now, I'll kill you!"**

**Lucarda laughed. "Please, do you honestly think that sword of yours scares me? You have no idea what you are getting yourself into." Akira shook his head. "Look, it doesn't have to come to this. If you'll just remove the spell from the villagers, free Kagome and leave this village in peace … we'll leave you alone and never bother you again." ****Lucarda laughed maniacally. "I don't think so. The villagers are very useful to me. As for Kagome, she will become my bride." InuYasha glared with hatred as he screamed toward Lucarda. "Over my dead body!" Lucarda pointed toward him. "That my friend can be arranged!"**

**Lucarda's eyes began to glow as he levitated into the air. Before Akira or InuYasha knew what to expect, a beam of purple energy was released from the demon's eyes which connected with InuYasha and sent him sailing backwards. In InuYasha's defense, Akira's teleported into the shadows and unleashed numerous shuriken toward Lucarda which were easily deflected by his energy attacks.**

**At that moment screaming was heard as Kirara, Miroku and Sango fell into the room near InuYasha. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be waiting outside!" Sango stood to her feet. "We were, but we started to get worried. You were taking too long. We wanted to make sure you were okay." ****An evil smile spread across Lucarda's face. "So, it appears there are more of you who wish to die." Miroku questioned their opponent. "Who's that?" InuYasha was quick to reply. "Lucarda. The villagers were right. He's got Kagome held somewhere else in the mansion." Miroku sighed. "I wish we would have known. We could have searched for her."**

**Lucarda yelled in anger. "Kagome will be my bride! No one will be able to stop me from achieving my goal! You will all have to die!" InuYasha yelled back with the same anger. "That's what you think!" He then raised his sword above his head and shouted, "Wind Scar!!" As he called out this attack, he brought his sword crashing back down to the ground releasing six rays of light energy which sped toward Lucarda. However, a thick layer of fog appeared just as the attack was about to connect with him. Once the fog vanished, Lucarda was shown in perfect health.**

**Lucarda: You'll have to do better than that!**

**Sango screamed with surprise. "The Wind Scar had no effect!"**

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**Meanwhile, Shippo had become impatient waiting for the others. He decided to take a look around the mansion in hopes of finding Kagome. After a moment, he heard a scream and followed it down a hall way and into a room where he found her tied to the bed. "Kagome!"**

**She was both thrilled and surprised to find Shippo standing in the doorway. "Shippo! How did you get in here?" He smiled with pride toward his abilities. "I used my fox magic and transformed into a girl."**

"**Where are InuYasha and the others?"**

**Shippo frowned. "I don't know. They're supposed to be inside looking for you, but it's been awhile and I haven't heard from them yet." Kagome panicked. "They must be fighting Lucarda. Shippo, hurry up and untie me." Shippo nodded and jumped onto the bed. Within a minute, Kagome was free from her restraints. "Thank you, Shippo. Come on, we've got to hurry."**

**Shippo nodded. "You bet." Kagome and Shippo then headed out of the room in search of InuYasha and the others.**

***********************

**In the mansion's basement, InuYasha and the others were trying their best to defeat Lucarda, but it seemed impossible. Everything the group tried was either deflected or didn't cause any damage to their opponent. In a desperate attempt Miroku through several sutras toward Lucarda in an attempt to paralyze him. However, these sutras were not enough to keep the demon from moving. ****Lucarda laughed at their attempts. "You fools will never be able to defeat me. You might as well give up and allow me to kill you!" Akira's thoughts echoed through his mind. "This constant fighting isn't getting us anywhere! He has to have some kind of weakness!"**

**InuYasha glared. "Why don't we just have Miroku suck up this bastard with his wind tunnel?" Miroku nodded. "That would work, but we'd risk pulling in everyone of the villagers with him."**

"**Not if the rest of us hold them back!"**

**1At that moment, Kagome and Shippo appeared in the room by bumping into a wall which pushed in revealing a secret entrance. Kagome screamed out InuYasha's name upon spotting him. He quickly returned her scream. "Kagome! Are you alright?" She nodded. "I'm fine. Shippo was able to untie me. But listen, Lucarda has one of the jewel shards. It's in his neck."**

**Akira's eyes widened upon hearing this from the shadows. His thoughts echoed through his mind. "That would explain why he's so powerful. If I can just time it right …"**

**Lucarda screamed. "I don't know how you were able to escape Kagome, but this is not over yet! Once I have disposed of your friends, you will be mine!" Lucarda eyes began to glow as he sent a large purple beam energy crashing into InuYasha. Before he could strike another blow, Sango hurled her Hiraikotsu toward the demon. This was the distraction Akira needed. He teleported behind Lucarda just as her weapon was about to strike. After taking aim, Lucarda deflected the Hiraikotsu, sending it stailing back toward Sango.**

**Seconds later, a massive Shuriken flew toward Lucarda from behind. This was so unexpected that the blades of the weapon pierced through his back and neck, leaving massive wounds upon contact. The jewel shard fell to the ground as he fell to his knees. He then screamed toward InuYasha who had jumped back to his feet. "InuYasha! Now's your chance! Use the Wind Scar!!"**

**InuYasha nodded. "Right." He then raised his sword above his head and shouted, "Wind Scar!!" As he called out this attack, he brought his sword crashing back down to the ground releasing six rays of light energy which sped toward Lucarda. With in seconds, the attack tore through Lucarda's body and defeated him on the spot.**

**Kagome jumped with excitement. "Yes! We did it!" InuYasha sheathed his sword. It's about time too. I was getting sick of that bastard." Miroku's concern turned for the girls of the village. "I'll check on the girls!" He rushed to the back of the room and found the girls returning to their normal selves. Miroku sighed with relief. "They'll be fine. They're turning back to normal."**

**Akira teleported from his hiding spot and appeared near Sango. "Great, that means the villagers can rest easy now." Shippo closed his eyes and nodded with approval. "And it was all thanks to us." At that moment, one of the coffins in the corner of the room began to shake as a male voice was heard, screaming.**

**InuYasha sighed. "Don't tell me there's another one!" Akira carefully approached the coffin. "Only one way to find out." He removed the lid and immediately went on the defensive. To his surprise, the Samurai who had gone to search for the woman who owned the inn was tied up inside. "It's the Samurai!"**

**Sango rushed to help Akira remove his restraints. "He must have been captured as soon as he arrived here." Seconds later, he was out of the coffin. "Thank you for your assistance." Akira shook his head. "Don't worry about it." In a panic, the Samurai turned toward the women who were coming to. After a moment he found Eiko and rushed toward her. "I'm so glad you're safe." The two embraced one another lovingly.**

**Kagome smiled and realized they had forgotten about the jewel shard. "What about the jewel shard?!" InuYasha showed that he had it in hand. "We take it with us of course. That's one more Naraku won't be getting his filthy hands on."**

**Sango smiled. "Come on everyone. We should let the villagers know that Lucarda has been defeated and the girls are safe." Miroku nodded. "Sango's right. Let's get these ladies back to their homes." Sango glared. "So you can ask them to bear your children?"**

"**Who said anything about that?" Shippo laughed. "You did." Miroku shook his head frantically. "No I didn't."**

"**Well you were thinking it awfully loud."**

**With the demon Lucarda defeated, the village held a celebration in the group's name and they were allowed to stay in the inn for free.**

(To Be Continued...)


	3. Chapter 03: The Girl Who Found A Jewel

**Chapter Three**

**The Girl Who Found A Jewel**

**It was a normal sunny day for the citizens of present day Tokyo, Japan. People were going about their lives like it was any other day. This was the same for a teenage girl named Kairi Higurashi. Kairi was 17 years old and had bright green eyes. Her hair was a light brown shade and flowed down to the center of her back. She usually kept the back of her hair tied with a braid in order to keep it as straight as possible. An alarm clock was sounding off in her bedroom of her family's shrine.**

**Kairi was still fast asleep. Her arms and legs were dangling off the sides of her bed and her blankets were pulled half way down. The alarm continued to ring until her mother rushed into the room to turn it off. She then began to shake her daughter awake. "Kairi, wake up!! You're going to be late for school … again!" Kairi could only yawn in response. It took another call of her name before she could finally speak. "… Five more minutes." Her mother was getting fed up with her (sleeping all the time) attitude. "I don't think so! You been nearly twenty minutes late all week. You don't need to repeat that today."**

**Kairi stretched her arms and let out another yawn as she slowly sat up in her bed. "Alright already. I'm up." Her mother nodded her head. "Good, now get dressed. I doubt you'll have time for breakfast." Kairi started to protest. "But that's the most important meal of the day." Her mother pointed away from her bed. "Then you'd better fly." Kairi sighed. "Sometimes I wish I knew how."**

**With that, Kairi's mom left her daughter so she could throw her uniform on and finish getting ready. After a few minutes, Kairi left her bedroom and headed down toward the kitchen where the rest of her family had gathered at the table to eat. Her hair was pulled up into a braid and her outfit consisted of a traditional Japanese uniform. She wore a white blouse with green trims and a green bow was placed in the center. She also wore a green mini-skirt, a pair of knee length white socks and a pair of black high heels. A plate of eggs and toast had been set for her at the far end of the table.**

**Wanting to be able to finish her breakfast, Kairi quickly rushed toward her seat. After raising her chopsticks to her mouth, her younger sister Jillian spoke to her. "Running late again as usual?" Kairi snapped back with an angry reply. "Mind your own business for a change!" Jillian sighed, her sister never had been a morning person. "Jeez, sorry. I didn't know you were going to be cranky today."**

**Jillian was 10 years old and had the same green eyes as her sister. Her hair flowed past her shoulders and was a dark black shade. She also wore a traditional Japanese school uniform. The two usually got along pretty well, but like all sisters, they had the occasional argument.**

**Kairi turned to her mother, giving her a sort of half smile. As if she expected her to say something special. "So, Mom. Do you have anything … "special" … planned for this evening?" Her mother tried her best to appear confused. "Special? Why? Is there some kind of event today?" Jillian smiled and clapped her hands together. "Its Friday! Yay for the weekend!"**

**Kairi laughed sarcastically. "Ha, Ha. You know it's my birthday today. I'm 18 now. Remember?" Her mother's confused expression quickly turned to a smile. "Of course we remember dear." Her father nodded. "How could we forget? You've been reminding us every day for the past month." Kairi chuckled slightly. "I couldn't help it. It's not every day a girl turns 18, you know. So … what are we doing?" Her mother shook her head. "Sorry, dear. That's a surprise. You'll find out once you get home from school. "Kairi sighed, upset she'd have to wait that long. "Oh alright."**

**Her mother noticed a clock hanging nearby. "Speaking of school, you'd better finish your breakfast or you'll be late." Kairi nodded and quickly started to shove down her food, replying with a mouthful. "Right."**

**After finishing her breakfast, Kairi rushed back up into her bedroom to grab her backpack. Once she threw it on, she started to rush out of her room when something caught her attention through the corner of her eye. A faint purple glow was coming from her desk. She stared in the direction of the glow with a sort of confused look. "…Huh? The last time I checked, desks didn't glow."**

**Curiously, Kairi approached her desk and found a single purple gem nestled in a silver necklace. "Cool!" She shouted with excitement. "It must be an early birthday present." Kairi smiled as she picked up the necklace from her desk and placed it around her neck. With the necklace now in her possession, Kairi rushed out of her room and headed down the stairs.**

**As she was about to head out of the shrine, she waved goodbye to her mother. "Bye, Mom. Thanks for the early present!!" Without waiting for a response, Kairi took off and headed for her school leaving her mom completely confused.**

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**After running for about five minutes, Kairi was nearly to her school. She was about to pass a nearby old-fashioned well when she suddenly tripped over a small stone. She lost her balance and fell head first into the well, screaming. Before she could regain her senses, a bright flash of light was emitted from the center of the well until it covered Kairi's entire body. This light then moved upward until it consumed the entire well. Just as soon as the light had appeared, it vanished taking Kairi with it.**

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**Leaping across time to the Feudal Era of Japan, InuYasha and the others were gathered in a forest. The sun was setting and the sky was filled with an orange glow. In the center of this group was the deceased body of a large snake-like demon with two heads. InuYasha had just removed his sword from the center of the demon's body. The sword's blade lost its massive width as he placed it back in its sheath.**

**Miroku bowed his head. "And that's the end of yet another demon. I'd better use my Sutras and offer a prayer." He removed a small sheet of paper from within his kimono and placed it on the body of the demon.**

**Akira folded his arms and smirked. "I tell ya, after that battle, I feel like I could take on Naraku by myself." InuYasha shook his head in disagreement. "Ha, yeah right. Like that would ever happen." Akira appeared annoyed by InuYasha's negativity. "Why do you always have to be such a jerk?" InuYasha chuckled. "What, you want a piece of me?!**

**Sango felt the need to step in between the two warriors before this argument escalated any further. "Alright, that's enough you two." The tension Akira held toward InuYasha seemed to drop almost instantly. "Sorry Sango. I just wish InuYasha could be a little less hateful sometimes."**

**InuYasha glared toward Akira. "You were the one who opened your big mouth." At that moment, the sun had finally settled allowing the moon to rise into the sky. When this occurred, InuYasha began to undergo a strange transformation. His hair changed from silver to black and his dog ears vanished as he gained the ears of a human. His claws had also vanished and formed into normal fingernails. InuYasha had changed into the form of a normal human being. "Oh no!!"**

**Kagome looked on toward the moon. "That's right. It's the night of the new moon."**

**At that moment, a bright flash of light appeared above the group as a teenage girl wearing a traditional Japanese school uniform fell through the sky and landed on top of InuYasha. The girl screamed out in pain. "Ouch!! That hurt!! Where am I? How did I get here?"**

**Miroku's eyes seemed to glitter with excitement as he looked up and down toward the newcomer. "Well, what do you know? It's raining beautiful women. The fates must be with me today!" Miroku rushed forward with an enthusiastic grin upon his face. He then bowed before the girl and placed his hand upon her butt. "Excuse me, miss. Would you bear my children?"**

**InuYasha rolled his eyes as the girl screamed "Pervert!!" and smacked him across the face. Miroku placed a hand over the massive red mark now on his face. "…It was worth it."**

**InuYasha glared. "How about getting off me now?!!" The girl turned her attention to InuYasha and just realized that she had been sitting on him. "Oh, I'm sorry!!" The girl then stood from her spot allowing InuYasha to stand on his feet. "It's about time!" He said as he brushed some dirt off.**

**Shippo looked sort of surprised as he was now able to better see this girl. "Kagome, is this girl a friend of yours? Her clothes are almost exactly like yours."**

**Kagome almost immediately jumped in confusion. "Kairi?! What are you doing here?" Kairi appeared relieved that she ran into someone she knew. "Hey cous', I haven't seen you in a while. The last I heard, you had some horrible disease that was keeping you in bed."**

**Kagome face turned slightly red as she balled up a hand into a fist. "That'd be my grandpa. He's always making excuses like that when I'm not home." She shook her head, trying to focus on how her cousin got to their location. "But enough about me, how'd you get here? Did you fall through my well?"**

**Kairi shook her head. "No, but you're close. I was running late for school and I tripped over a stone and fell into a nearby well. Then there was this bright light and now I'm here." Kairi began to panic. "Oh no!! School!! I'm so late!!"**

**"Uh, I don't think you're going to be able to get to school from here." Kagome said.**

**Kairi couldn't possibly be more confused than she was now. "What do you mean? If I don't get there, Mom's gonna kill me!"**

**Kagome folded her arms. "…Well…Our school doesn't exist in this time period." Kairi couldn't help but laugh at this. "I wish. That's a good one though." The tone of Kagome's voice became much more serious. "I'm serious. We're in the Feudal Era."**

**Kairi raised an eyebrow. "The Feudal Era? You mean when guns first came to Japan?" She rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. I've heard some tall tales before but that once takes the cake."**

**Kagome sighed. "If you don't believe me, take a look around. That should be enough proof for you." Kairi took a moment to look at her surroundings. That's when she noticed Shippo the fox demon, Akira in his ninja outfit, the Kimonos and the body of the dead demon that the group had just defeated. "Ahh!! Demons!! They're supposed to be mythical creatures!"**

**Akira shook his head. "Apparently not."**

**"Do you believe me now?" Kagome questioned her cousin. **

**Kairi still seemed a bit freaked out. "It's kind of hard not to. Is this where you've been disappearing to all the time?" Kagome nodded. "Yeah, but that's a long story." Kairi sighed. "I guess I have time now."**

**Kagome nodded. "Well, it all started when I fell to the bottom of the well in my family's shrine. That's when I first met InuYasha. He was in search for a magical jewel known as the Shikon Jewel. This Jewel is able to do amazing things for a normal human or a demon. But InuYasha was tricked by a demon named Naraku and was pinned to a tree for fifty years until I came along and somehow managed to break his seal. Now Naraku has the jewel in his possession and is slowly gaining the shards to make it whole again.**

**"So the jewel was broken at some point?" Kairi asked.**

**"Yeah that was kind of my fault." Kagome said as she pointed to herself. "That's why I come to the Feudal Era as much as I can. I feel that it's my responsibility to make sure that the remaining jewel shards don't fall into Naraku's hands."**

**Sango frowned. "If that were to happen, we'd all be in serious trouble."**

**InuYasha appeared as cocky as ever. "You don't have to worry about anything while I'm here." Akira chuckled. "Yeah, you're a real body guard in your current state. Aren't you?" InuYasha glared. "Shut up!!"**

**"So, who are all these people?" Kairi asked as she looked around. "Are they involved to?"**

**Miroku nodded. "Yes, we have all had something happen in our lifetimes that was directly related to Naraku. My name is Miroku and I am the Monk of our group.**

**Kairi smirked as Miroku tried to explain the situation. "What'd he do to you? Make you perverted?"**

**Miroku bowed his head and looked on toward the hand which he had covered by a rosary. "…No…I am sad to say that I have been cursed by Naraku. In my right hand is a Wind Tunnel which will suck up anything in its path." He outstretched his right arm, keeping it held firmly in his left hand." With each passing year the Tunnel grows in size. Eventually, it will swallow me whole. My only hope is to defeat this demon." He lowered his arms.**

**Kairi appeared shocked and concerned for the monk. "…I'm sorry. I had no idea." Miroku shook his head. "It's alright. My curse is nothing compared to the others."**

**Akira bowed his head "…I lost my Sensei to the hands of one of Naraku's minions: Kagura." He slammed one of his fists into an open palm. "My sensei was like a second father to me. I'll never forgive either of the two for murdering him."**

**Sango frowned. "Naraku … using trickery, took possession of my younger brother Kohaku forcing him to slay everyone in my village. To this day, my brother is nothing but a mere puppet to that demon." Akira placed his left arm around Sango's waist and moved in closer to her. "We'll get him back Sango. Trust me." She nodded.**

**InuYasha rolled his eyes. "And now they get all mushy again."**

**Shippo lowered his head. "They're not the only ones who lost someone." Kagome nodded. "That's right. Shippo lost his parents thanks to Naraku."**

**"So as you can see, we all have our reasons for wanting to find Naraku so we can defeat him once and for all." Miroku added.**

**This was all very hard for Kairi to take in, but her concern for her cousin and her friends was clear to see. "I see. I feel bad for all of you." She shook her head. "I hate to ask this now, but is there a way to go back to our time Kagome?"**

**Kagome nodded. "There may be one way. We could always take you to the Bone Eaters well in Kaeda's Village."**

**Kairi appeared nervous by the mention of the well's name. "Bone … Eaters … well? I'm not sure I like the sound of that." InuYasha shook his head. "It's nothing. It was a well that they used to throw the bones of dead demons in." **

**Kairi freaked out. "Say what?! And you want me to go down it?!"**

**Angered that InuYasha could be so insensitive toward her cousin, Kagome screamed. "InuYasha! Sit boy!!"**

**InuYasha panicked and fell into the ground once more. "Ouch! Whatcha do that for Kagome?"**

**Kagome glared. "You can be so insensitive sometimes." She turned her attention back toward Kairi. "Don't worry about it, Kairi. I use the Bone Eaters well to travel back to the Present all the time. There's nothing dangerous about it."**

**Kairi still appeared uneasy but tried to take her cousin's word for it. "If you say so. How far is it to Kaeda's village?"**

**"It's just a short walk from here." Kagome replied.**

**Kairi sighed. "Well, I guess it's the only way we know of now so we might as well give it a shot."**

**Shippo jumped in the air, excited. "Alright. To Kaeda's Village then! Let's go team!"**

**InuYasha rolled his eyes as Shippo took the lead of the group and began to march towards Kaeda's village in order to help Kairi return to her time.**

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**After a fifteen minute walk through the forest, the group made it to the entrance of Kaeda's village. And even though they hadn't been walking for long, Kairi appeared exhausted. "Finally. This is it, right?" InuYasha nodded. "Yep, this is the old woman's village alright."**

**Kairi turned toward Kagome. "Before we head to the well, is it alright if we stop to get something to eat? I'm starving."**

**Kagome couldn't help but chuckle. "That's no problem. We could introduce you to Kaeda. I'm sure she'd have something for us to eat. Kairi smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me."**

**After a moment or two, the group had entered a small house where they found an elder woman sitting at a traditional Japanese table. This woman wore a black eye patch over her left eye and her outfit consisted of a white kimono top, a pair of red baggy pants with a red cloth belt tied around the waist, and a pair of sandals. This woman was the Priestess of the village named Kaeda. "If it isn't InuYasha. I thought ye had left in search of the Jewel Shards."**

**InuYasha frowned. "We had, but we ran into someone." Kagome laughed. "It was more like someone running into us, right into InuYasha to be specific." InuYasha shook his head, mockingly. "Ha, Ha, very funny."**

**"Would ye care to introduce us?" Kaeda asked. Kagome motioned for her cousin to come in. "This is my cousin Kairi. She came to this era pretty much the same way I did. Kairi, this is the Priestess Kaeda."**

**Kaeda bowed. "It's a pleasure to me ye." Kairi nodded. "…It's a pleasure to meet "Ye" to." InuYasha chuckled slightly until Kaeda's eyes widened as she noticed the jewel hanging around Kairi's neck. "…No…That be impossible! I sent it away from here!"**

**Shippo appeared concerned. "What's the matter Kaeda?"**

**Kaeda pointed toward Kairi. "The jewel around your neck! Where did ye find it?" Kairi looked down to what she assumed to be a normal, every day necklace. "Oh, you mean my necklace? I found it on my desk back home. It's cool, huh? I thought it was a birthday present from my parents since I turned 18 today."**

**Miroku's spirits rose. "Really now? Well, happy birthday." Kairi didn't quite know what to say so she simply thanked him. "…Uh, thanks."**

**Kaeda appeared angered. "Ye be a fool! Have ye any idea what would happen if this jewel were to fall into the hands of someone like Naraku?!"**

**Sango appeared concerned. "Kaeda? What are you saying?"**

**"The jewel around her neck has enough power to rival that of the Shikon Jewel." Kaeda added.**

**InuYasha couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Say what?!"**

**Kaeda nodded. "That jewel is known as the Jewel of Five Elements. It allows its bearer to call forth any of five different magical spells." She began to raise a finger for every element she called off, until all five of her fingers were upright. "These spells are of the Fire, Water, Wind, Lighting and Earth elements." She lowered her hand. "As the bearer learns each spell the jewel gains power. Before long, the bearer would have enough power to equal that of the Shikon Jewel."**

**Kairi shook her head as she looked at her necklace. "That can't be. It looks like an ordinary jewel."**

**Akira folded his arms. "Well, looks can be deceiving. We know that all too well."**

**Kaeda nodded. "Exactly. This is why I had used a spell to cast this jewel away from our time period. If Naraku were to possess this jewel, there would be no hope for any of us."**

**Kairi freaked out. "You're kidding me. I don't want to have that much responsibility. Then I would have to stay here. I want to go home! I'm supposed to celebrate my birthday with my family. And what would they say if I was in the feudal era?" She shook her head. "There's no way they would allow this."**

**InuYasha glared. "Fine, then take the thing off and give it to me." Kairi nodded. "If you want it, you can have it." Kairi then took both of her hands and placed them on the necklace and prepared to remove it. To her surprise, no matter how hard she pulled, she could not take it off. "What's the matter with this stupid thing?! I can't get if off! This isn't funny!"**

**Akira appeared concerned. "You can't be serious. It's really stuck, isn't it?"**

**"You think I'd joke about something like this?!" Kairi screamed.**

**"What are we going to do? Sango asked. "Can you remove it for her Kaeda?"**

**Kaeda shook her head. "I don't think it be possible. It looks like the jewel has chosen its bearer for the time being."**

**Kairi continued to panic. "But I don't want it! I don't want to stay here to battle demons! I want to go home!"**

**InuYasha appeared upset. "There's got to be a way to remove that necklace … and until we figure it out, you're staying with us. End of story."**

**This statement angered Kagome. "InuYasha! She's been through enough already. There's no reason to get her involved."**

**"The way I see it she's already involved." InuYasha added.**

**"Don't worry about it right now InuYasha. Kaeda replied. "If she can't remove the jewel, then it is safe for the time being. While ye are all here, why don't I prepare us a dinner?" She stood. "We can talk more later."**

**Miroku nodded in agreement. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea to me. There's no use in worrying our new friend."**

**Kairi appreciated what Miroku said. "Thank you, Miroku." Miroku reached his hand towards her butt. "My pleasure." As he was about to make contact, Kairi slapped him across the face once more. "I told you no the first time. How many times do I have to say it to get it to sink in?"**

**Sango sighed. "More times than you could count."**

**Shippo burst into laughter. "That's our Miroku."**

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**After about thirty minutes, Kaeda had prepared a dinner for the group and they had all gathered around the table. Once they had all seated themselves, they continued to discuss the Jewel of Five Elements which was stuck around Kairi's neck. InuYasha was the first to speak, with a mouth full of food. "So there are five different spells and once each spell is learnt, the jewel gains enough power to equal the Shikon Jewel."**

**Kaeda nodded. "That is correct, InuYasha. There are numerous different spells for each element and the bearer is able to call forth these spells through the use of incantations."**

**"Incantations?" Sango asked after taking a sip of her beverage. "How would the bearer know what to say to call up the spells without something to go by?"**

**"They would have to use the Scroll of Five Elements." Kaeda replied. "The first spell's incantation is always ready for use. As the bearer grows use to the jewel, the remaining incantations become available for use."**

**"Which would be another reason why it would be a bad thing for Naraku to get a hold of this jewel." Akira added after taking a bite of his food. "Imagine how many times he would use the spells on helpless victims to get the jewel to full power."**

**Shippo nodded. "That's right. We can't let that happen."**

**"Just out of curiosity, do you have the scroll with you Kaeda?" Kagome couldn't help but wonder.**

**Kaeda nodded. "Aye that I do. I have it locked away in a case. I've been guarding it for sometime now."**

**InuYasha slammed his chopsticks onto the table. "Why didn't you tell us about it?!"**

**"That's simple." Miroku replied. "If word got out about the jewel, then the whole reason for protecting it would have been cancelled out."**

**Kairi appeared upset. "…Then it really is up to me to protect the jewel now."**

**Kaeda bowed her head. "Aye. That is our situation."**

**Kagome turned to her cousin. "What will you do Kairi?"**

**Kairi sighed. "There's not much I can do. I'm no fighter. Even if I was able to use the spells of the Jewel, I'd probably just be defeated by some demon."**

**InuYasha shook his head. "No way. You'd have too many body guards."**

**Akira nodded. "He's right, for once. You'd have us to back you up."**

**Kairi looked down toward everyone, then down to her food. "…Can I stay and sleep on it? This is too hard of a decision to make without thinking about it."**

**Sango nodded. "That sounds fair enough."**

**"I agree." Kaeda added. "Once our meal is finished, I will prepare your beds."**

**Kairi seemed slightly relieved. "Thank you, Kaeda."**

**With that, the group finished their dinner and Kaeda prepared their beds like planned. "Great, I have to sleep on the floor." Kairi thought to herself. Before long, everyone had settled in to get some rest.**

**(To Be Continued...)**


	4. Chapter 04: The Mischievous Cat Diva

**Chapter Four**

**The Mischievous Cat Demon**

**That night, while the others were sleeping, Kairi stirred in her sleep. It wasn't the fact that she was sleeping in an old fashioned Japanese bed that was keeping her from resting comfortably. It was the fact that she had somehow ended up in the distant past of the Feudal Era. To make matters worse, she had a decision to make, a decision that could change everything for her.**

**Kairi had the Jewel of Five Elements in her possession and there was nothing she could do to change that. This Jewel was said to be able to equal the power of the Shikon Jewel (or Jewel of Four Souls) which was in the possession of a demon named Naraku. If she were to stay in the past, she would eventually have to battle this demon along with InuYasha and his group.**

**This was something she didn't wan to have any part of. However, if she returned to her time, then she would be taking the jewel with her. And then the group would have to find another way to defeat Naraku on their own. For some reason, she didn't want that to be the case.**

**Unable to rest any longer, Kairi quietly slid out of her bed and headed outside to get some fresh air. The moon was setting slowly, allowing the sun to make its appearance once more. She thought about her situation as she watched the sunrise. "I wish I knew what to do. Part of me wants to go home and forget this ever happened, but the other part of me wants to stay here to help Kagome and the others."**

**At that moment, Kagome had stepped outside as well when she noticed that her cousin wasn't in her bed. "Hey, Kairi. Couldn't sleep?"**

**Kairi shook her head. "No. I've got too much on my mind to sleep." Kagome nodded. "That's understandable."**

**"What do you think the others would do if I ended up going home?" Kagome questioned her cousin. Kagome thought for a moment. "Well … we'd just continue our journey like normal."**

**Kairi frowned. She realized most of the group would be okay with it, but there was one person in particular she was concerned about. "What about InuYasha?" Kagome couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Don't worry about him. He can be stubborn sometimes, but he's really a kind person. He'd understand if you went home."**

**Kairi expression kind of changed, like a light bulb turning on. "Well, what if I'm able to travel through the times like you? Would I be able to return home whenever I wanted?" Kagome thought for a moment. "Well, sure. That is, if we weren't in a battle at the time."**

**Kairi still wasn't sure she liked the thought of battling demons at all. She was still trying to get used to the fact that they actually existed. "… Right … How do you do it Kagome? How are you able to risk your life like you do everyday?"**

**"Well … it was scary for me at first too …" Kagome replied. "…but then I realized InuYasha was really kind and I knew that he would always be there to protect me. Plus with all of our friends with us, it really takes the pressure away."**

**Kairi kind of sighed, as if she had given up the idea of going home. "… I guess. You know, I think I've made my decision." Kagome seemed surprised. "Really? So what are you going to do?"**

**"Let's wait until the others are awake so I can tell everyone." Kairi replied.**

**Kagome nodded in agreement. "Alright."**

**Kagome turned her attention to the sky and realized that the sun was nearly in position. "Aren't the sunrises here beautiful? There aren't any extra lights to ruin it."**

**Kairi nodded. "…Yeah." She gazed at the sun. "I may be able to get used to that." She thought to herself. At that moment, InuYasha appeared through the doorway of Kaeda's home in his half demon form once again. "There you are. I thought you two took off without telling us."**

**Kairi appeared surprised. "Inu…Yasha?! What in the world?! I thought you had black hair and what's with the puppy ears?"**

**Kagome burst out with laughter. "This is how he normally looks."**

**InuYasha turned defensive. "Yeah, you got a problem with that?"**

**Kairi frantically shook her head twice. "No … I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."**

**"Sure, whatever." InuYasha said sarcastically. "So, have you made your decision?"**

**Kairi nodded. "Yes. Are the others awake?"**

**"It took 'em long enough, but they're awake." InuYasha said as he crossed his arms. "You know, if I didn't have to wait for you guys, I'd already be looking for the Jewel Shards." Kagome appeared slightly irritated. "Why can't you ever admit that you need rest to?"**

**"Because I don't." InuYasha shot back.**

**With InuYasha and Kagome still arguing, Kairi entered Kaeda's house ahead of them. Once inside, she found the others were preparing to leave. Sango was the first to greet her. "How are you feeling this morning?"**

**"I'm fine." Kairi replied. "I've made my decision." Akira raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's good to hear. So what did you decide?"**

**"… Well … I'd like to accompany you guys on your journey." She said as she bowed her head and looked on toward the jewel, stuck around her neck. "Since I can't remove the Jewel, I feel that it's my responsibility now."**

**"In that case, welcome to the group." Miroku said as he approached Kairi with a devilish sort of grin. "…I hope you enjoy your stay with us."**

**Kairi pointed a finger toward the monk before he could get any closer. "Touch my butt again and I'll rip your hand off."**

**Miroku pulled his hand close to him in a panic. "… Ouch, harsh. I was only going to give you a hug."**

**Shippo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. Who are you trying to fool, Miroku?"**

**"Well, since ye are staying in our time, I'd better hand over the scroll." Kaeda replied. "Ye won't be able to use the jewel's spells without the proper incantations."**

**With that, Kaeda headed over to a nearby shelf where she removed a long black case which was sealed with a golden lock. After placing it on her table, she pulled out a golden key from within her kimono. Once the lock was removed, she pulled the lid of the case open which revealed the rolled up scroll. Kaeda then took the scroll and handed it over to Kairi. "Thank you, Kaeda."**

**"Ye are welcome Kairi." Kaeda replied. "If ye were to open the scroll, ye would see that the first spell is ready for use."**

**Kairi unrolled the scroll and read the first incantation to herself which emitted a red glow. The spell read, "I call upon the Flames of Fury." This was followed by a spell called Fireballs.**

**"When it is time for a new spell to be learnt, that spell will light up." Kaeda explained further.**

**"I see." Kairi said as she nodded, understanding. "That sounds easy enough. Is there anything else I should know?"**

**"Once ye become used to using the powers of the jewel, ye will be able to cast the spells through the use of your hands or a weapon." Kaeda added. "I have kept a staff locked away with the scroll in case the jewel ever fell into the possession of someone like ye."**

**Kaeda then turned back toward the case and removed a long staff from within a second compartment. This staff was about the same length as Kairi. The base of the staff was white while the circular pattern at the top was golden. "Thank you for all of your help, Kaeda."**

**Kaeda shook her head. "Pay it no mind."**

**"Well … now that we know that she's staying, what should we do now?" Akira questioned.**

**"Actually … if it's not too much trouble … I'd still like to visit this Bone Eaters well." Kairi stated, causing InuYasha to glare in her direction. "I thought you said you were staying here. Make up your mind woman."**

**"I am! I'd like to know if I'd be able to return to my time whenever I need to." Kairi shot back.**

**InuYasha was starting to get annoyed. "But what about the jewel shards? The more time we waste, the more chances Naraku has to collect them before us."**

**"InuYasha, it's not like the well as that much out of our way. It's within the village." Akira added. InuYasha sighed. "Fine … If we're going to go to the well, we'd better get going now. We don't have all day."**

**Miroku turned toward Kaeda and bowed. "Thank you for your hospitality, Kaeda. We'll be on our way now." Kaeda returned Miroku's gesture. "Fare thee well. And good luck on your journey."**

**After saying their goodbyes, InuYasha led the group through Kaeda's village until the came to a clearing in a small forest where they found an old fashioned well which InuYasha was quick to point out. "This is it."**

**Kairi turned to Kagome. "So, I just hop in?" Kagome nodded. "That's the idea. If it works, you'll find yourself in our time again."**

**"In case she ends up in a different place, maybe you should go with her Kagome." Sango added.**

**"That's a good idea." Kagome replied as she motioned for her cousin to follow her. "Come on, Kairi." Kairi nodded nervously. "Alright. Here goes nothing."**

**Kagome and Kairi rushed toward the well and prepared to leap in. Kagome made the jump and ended up inside, but as Kairi was about to fall in, an invisible barrier blocked the entrance to the well and pushed Kairi backward causing her to fall on the ground. "Ouch! What the heck happened?!" A moment later, Kagome reemerged through the well.**

**"What's the matter? Kagome questioned. "Why didn't you come through with me?"**

**"I tried…" Kairi replied. "… but some invisible force pushed me back." Kagome appeared confused. "That's weird. You should be able to travel with me."**

**At that moment, InuYasha's nose began to twitch as they had smelt something that the others couldn't. "… I smell a cat."**

**Kairi couldn't believe InuYasha's sudden change of the subject. "What does that have to do with anything?!" InuYasha screamed toward everyone in the group as he immediately turned defensive. "Everyone, get down!!" Kairi still has no clue what was going on. "Why?" Kagome grabbed her cousin. "Take his word for it!!"**

**The rest of the group except for Akira and InuYasha took cover as two large balls of fire sailed towards their location. InuYasha unsheathed his sword called the Tetsusaiga which transformed from sword to fang instantly. When the first ball of magic was about to collide with InuYasha, he found a tear in the air. Taking the opportunity, InuYasha raised his sword above his head and shouted, "Wind Scar!!" As he called out this attack, InuYasha brought his sword crashing back down to the ground as six rays of light energy appeared and blasted through the ball of magic causing it to disperse.**

**As the second ball of magic was about to collide with Akira, quickly raised one hand in the formation of a gun pointing upward and pulled out a shuriken which instantly increased to half the size of Sango's weapon and was covered with an aura of water. He then hurled the massive shuriken toward the ball of fire, dispersing it upon contact. "Alright, come on and show yourself!!" Akira yelled.**

**"Where are you hiding, kitty?" InuYasha added.**

**As a reply, the sound of a hissing laughter was heard from above. The group looked upward toward a long tree branch to find that Kagome was being held captive by a female cat demon. This demon had purple eyes, long white hair which contained a purple tint, elf like ears, whiskers, and a brown tail. Her outfit consisted of a full length, blue kimono with a white flower pattern on the top and a silver cloth belt tied around her waist. Placed on her feet was a pair of blue sandals. Kagome and InuYasha screamed each other's names.**

**"Hiss, Hello, Mutt-Face." That cat demon shouted."**

**InuYasha appeared ready to take the cat's head off. "Let Kagome go you mangy cat!!"**

**"I don't think so." That cat demon continued. "You won't be getting her back until I get her jewel shards."**

**Akira raised an eyebrow. "So … you're just a common thief? In that case, we'll have to lock you away." Akira prepared to leap towards Kagome's location when the cat demon placed an arm around her throat. "Hiss … Take another step closer and your friend may forget how to breathe."**

**Kairi was starting to get upset. "Let go of my cousin you jerk!" InuYasha sighed. "Yeah … that helps a lot."**

**"Wait a minute!" Sango shouted. "How did you know that Kagome had jewel shards?"**

**The Cat Demon smirked. "I've been watching your group since you arrived at Kaeda's Village."**

**InuYasha glared, seemingly believing this to be a bold faced lie. "Then why couldn't I pick up your scent until now?" The Cat Demon shook her head, chuckling. "If I don't want to be found, I'm not going to be found. I have more than one spell you know."**

**"Then you were the one who threw those fireballs at us." Shippo said, pointing out the obvious.**

**"Wow, you catch on quick, don't you?" The cat demon replied.**

**InuYasha pointed his sword toward the cat. "If you have more than one spell, why are you hiding in a tree like a coward? Release Kagome and fight us!"**

**"I told you." The cat demon continued, getting annoyed as well. "I'm not interested in the girl. I just want her jewel shards. Once I have them, you can have her back. Now stay where you are and nobody gets hurt."**

**"There's no way I'll allow you to hurt Kagome or take her jewel shards." InuYasha shot back.**

**"InuYasha, I have an idea." Miroku added. "Stand back." InuYasha stepped aside as Miroku held out his right hand and removed his rosary. The second after, a black hole was shown in the center of his hand as Miroku shouted, "Wind Tunnel!!" The wind then intensified around the cat demon and Kagome. Realizing that she would soon be pulled into the monk's trap, the cat demon had no choice but to release her grip on Kagome.**

**With Kagome speeding toward him, Miroku had no choice but to close his wind tunnel while InuYasha leapt into the air and caught Kagome in his arms. "That was some idea Monk. What did you hope to gain by sucking Kagome up into your Wind Tunnel?"**

**Miroku shook his head. "That wasn't my plan. I didn't think that the demon would actually throw Kagome forward." InuYasha set Kagome down. "… Now that Kagome is free, you're going to pay for even touching her!!"**

**"Damn it!" The cat demon cursed. "I wish I would have known that the Monk had a black hole in his hand. No matter. I guess I'll just have to do things the hard way then." The cat demon leapt off from the tree branch and pounced towards InuYasha. Thinking quickly, Sango unsheathed her boomerang and screamed out, "Hiraikotsu!!" as she threw it towards the demon. However, the demon was easily able to knock the weapon aside with an agile kick to its center.**

**As Sango's weapon returned to her, Akira pulled out three smoke bombs and tossed them toward the cat. She quickly tried to leap away, but the smoke cloud that arose ended up trapping her long enough for Akira to counter attack with a barrage of kunai. When the smoke cleared, it was seen that the cat suffered from cuts on both arms.**

**The cat demon's meow was one of pain and anger toward Akira. Before Akira could react, she used her speed and agility to rush behind Akira and landed a kick to his back with both of her hind legs. The cat then spotted Kagome and decided to take the opportunity to move in on her causing InuYasha to scream out her name. "Kagome!!"**

**Kagome panicked and reached for her bow but before she could get an arrow in place, the cat demon was on top of her. However, she never got a chance to cause any harm to Kagome since InuYasha had raced forward with his claws held out in front of him. Within seconds, he called out "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!!" He then made a quick slicing motion causing the cat demon to become evasive.**

**"I've got to help them." Kairi thought to herself. "I think it's time to test the power of this jewel." Kairi pulled out her scroll and unsheathed her staff. With her staff in hand, she read the first incantation out loud. "I call upon the flames of fury!!" To her surprise, her jewel began to glow as the word "Fireballs" appeared on the scroll.**

**"It worked!!" Kairi cheered. "Here goes!! I call upon the Flames of Fury!! Fireballs!!" Kairi's jewel emitted an intense glow as a ball of fire appeared in the center of her staff. Seconds later, numerous fireballs were sent sailing towards the cat demon. Thinking quickly, the demon entered a defensive stance and threw forth numerous streams of water to cancel out Kairi's attacks.**

**The cat demon took a brief moment to think. "This is ridiculous. I have to figure out a way to get to this Kagome girl without the others being able to touch me. That's it!" A half grin appeared on the demon's face as she threw both of her arms down to her sides causing an intense mist to fill the area.**

**"What's happening?" Sango questioned.**

**"I can't see anything!" Shippo screamed in a panic.**

**With the group distracted, the cat demon was able to find Kagome in the center of the mist. Acting fast, the cat pounced on her taking the Kagome to the ground causing her to scream. "Ahhh!!!"**

**"Kagome?!" InuYasha screamed as he looked around frantically for her. However, since he was unable to use his sight, he relied on his nose. Within seconds, he was able to sniff out her location. As he headed for her, the mist had vanished and the cat demon was no longer on top of her. "Kagome! Are you okay?"**

**Kagome nodded. "I'm fine."**

**"Good." InuYasha said as he spotted the cat demon. "You're really askin' for it! Try dodging this!!" InuYasha placed his hands on the hilt of his Tetsusaiga and unsheathed the sword which grew in width once it was fully drawn. InuYasha then held his sword over his head and prepared to bring it crashing down. "Wind…!!" InuYasha was unable to call forth his attack since he was stopped when he noticed that the cat demon was holding up a jar which contained the jewel shards that were originally in Kagome's possession.**

**"I wouldn't try anything if I were you." The cat demon said cackling. "You wouldn't want to lose these shards, would you?"**

**"Damn it!!" InuYasha cursed.**

**"Who do you think you are?!" Akira questioned, angrily. "What do you want with our jewel shards anyway?"**

**"You don't need to know." The cat demon shot back.**

**InuYasha glared as he rose two fingers into the air. "You've got two seconds to give those back before I remove them from you."**

**Without giving the others a chance to react, the cat demon removed two jewel shards from the container and placed one in each of her palms. "There. My magic should be much more powerful now."**

**"Just tell us what you need them for." Kagome pleaded. "And if it was help you needed, you could have asked us."**

**The cat demon sighed. "I just wanted the jewel shards to gain a little extra power." She shook her head. "It's not that I don't have enough already, I just thought it would improve my spells."**

**Sango appeared both shocked and slightly disgusted. "That's it? That was your reason? You're not looking to defeat anyone? You just wanted more power?"**

**The cat demon nodded. "Pretty much."**

**Akira shared Sango's anger. "Look, we needed those jewel shards for a more important reason. We're trying to defeat a demon named Naraku and we need all the extra power we can get."**

**Kagome nodded. "Especially considering the fact that Naraku has a good portion of the jewel."**

**The cat demon appeared surprised. "You can't be serious. You people are trying to kill Naraku? You must have a death wish. I don't think there's a person among you who could even hope to defeat him."**

**Shippo got defensive. "Are you saying that you could?" The cat smirked at Shippo's questioning. "Possibly."**

**Miroku couldn't help but smile. "Well … then maybe you should come with us."**

**Akira's eye grew wide with surprise. "Are you out of your mind?! There's no way we're going to let a feline thief travel with us. She doesn't even have anything against Naraku. She has no reason to fight. We do."**

**Sango nodded. "Akira's right. There's nothing to gain from her being with us. It could only lead to more trouble."**

**The cat smirked. "Hmm … In that case, maybe I'll just come along anyway."**

**InuYasha glared. "I don't think so cat!" You tried to strangle Kagome, you attacked us and you're a thief! There's no way you're coming with us."**

**Kagome rolled her eyes. "InuYasha … Sit boy!!" The rosary around InuYasha's neck emitted a faint glow as he fell into the ground. Seeing this, the cat demon lost it as she burst out in laughter. "That was great. I've never seen anything that funny. Can that work for anyone?"**

**Kagome shook her head. "I'm afraid it only works for me."**

**InuYasha climbed back to his feet. "What'd you do that for?"**

**"Think about it, InuYasha." Kagome replied. "She has two of our jewel shards embedded in her arms and she doesn't seem like she's going to give them back. But we still need the extra power. The only way we can gain the extra power now would be for her to come with us. Like it or not."**

**InuYasha started to complain further. "… But …!" Kagome gave the look that told him she'd cause him to the ground again, causing him to simply sigh in defeat. "Fine, whatever. But don't expect me to get along with her."**

**Miroku gave his normal devilish smile. "Ah, another beautiful addition to the group." He said, approaching the cat demon. "My name is Miroku, I'm the Monk of the group."**

**The Cat Demon nodded sarcastically. "Yeah, I kind of gathered that."**

**Miroku smiled and let a hand slide down to her butt. "If you don't mind my asking, would you consider bearing my children?" A flare of anger appeared in the demon's eyes as she punched Miroku in the gut. "Touch my butt again and my target will be a little lower next time."**

**Kagome burst out laughing. "You'd better watch yourself from now on Miroku." Miroku sighed. "If only I wasn't cursed with this bad habit."**

**"Well, now that you've improperly met Miroku …" Kagome added. "…we should introduce you to the rest of our group. I'm Kagome, the archer of the group." As Kagome introduced the others, she pointed to their location. "This is Kairi, my cousin. She's our spell caster. Then there's Akira the ninja, Shippo the fox demon, Sango the demon slayer and of course InuYasha."**

**The cat nodded. "Yeah, the mutt. Well, since I know all of you, you should know my name. I'm known as Ryuko."**

**"I hate to cut our introduction short…" Akira interrupted. "…But once again, we're left without knowing what to do." Kairi nodded. "He's right. I'm not able to go back to my time through the bone eater's well."**

**"Your time?" Ryuko questioned. "What are you talking about?"**

**"Kairi and I aren't exactly from this era." Kagome replied. "We're from the Present." Ryuko shook her head. "Okay. Forget I asked."**

**"Maybe she can't get through because she didn't come to our time through the same well that Kagome did." Shippo replied.**

**Kagome rubbed her chin slightly, while thinking about Shippo's comment. "That could be. But I don't think there are any other wells around this village."**

**"As far as I know, there aren't." InuYasha said, while sheathing his sword." Kairi sighed. "Great." So that means I'm stuck here. Akira nodded. "For now anyway. I'm sure we'll be able to find a way for you to return to your time during our journey."**

**"Akira's right, so don't worry about it." Sango replied.**

**"Since Kairi can't return to her time…" InuYasha said while crossing his arms. "…there's no longer a reason to be here. We should head to the next village to continue our search for the remaining jewel shards."**

**Akira nodded in agreement. "Hate to say it, but InuYasha has a point. We should get going."**

**Kairi started to protest and waved her arms frantically. "Wait! What about my parents? Since I don't have a clue as to how long I'm going to be here in the feudal era, my parent's are going to freak out when they don't know where I am." Kagome nodded. "That's true. Maybe I should go back to our time and talk to them. I could come up with some kind of excuse as to why you won't be home for awhile. Like … you won an all expenses paid fieldtrip to America or something."**

**Kairi sighed. "I guess … they might buy that."**

**"Alright." Kagome replied. "In that case, I'll go ahead and go to your place now. I shouldn't be too long if everything goes well."**

**Akira stopped Kagome before she headed to the well. "Hey, Kagome. While you're in your time, could you do me a favor?"**

**Kagome appeared curious. "Like what?"**

**"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like to try some more of those … um … potato chips."**

**"A chocolate bar would be nice." Sango added.**

**InuYasha nodded his head. "Get some of those instant noodles too."**

**"Oh yeah, and bring my gameboy if you can." Kairi pleaded. "I wonder if it would work in the feudal era. I hope so. I have to have something else to do while we're here."**

**Kagome laughed. "I don't see why it wouldn't. As long as you have a lot of extra batteries lying around you should be fine. But you'll get used to this time quicker than you think so after awhile you may not even need it for entertainment."**

**Kairi shook her head. "Hey, just because it was easy for you to adjust to the past, doesn't mean it'll be easy for me."**

**"Rather it's easy or not, you'll have to get used to being here." InuYasha replied. "Besides, we spend most of our time looking for the jewel shards so you won't have much time for entertainment."**

**Kagome prepared to cause InuYasha to hit the ground again, but he quickly corrected himself.**

**"Kagome!! Alright, already I'm sorry. Don't you have to go back to your time to get things in order? The faster you get there and back the faster we can continue our search."**

**Kagome smiled. "Alright, I'll be back as soon as I can."**

**With that, Kagome leapt into the well and headed back toward her time.**

**(To Be Continued...)**


	5. Chapter 05: A Swarm of Demon Wasps

**Chapter Five**

**A Swarm of Demon Wasps  
**

**Elsewhere, in an unknown forest area, four travelers were on a journey of their own. In fact, their journey was not too different from that of InuYasha's group.**

**The head of this group was a man with silver, knee-length hair, amber colored eyes and elf like ears. He had a blue crescent moon on the center of his forehead, two magenta stripes on each side of his cheeks, matching magenta stripes on his wrists, and red markings on his eyelids. His outfit consisted of a white kimono with red hexagonal and flower markings, an armor plate which covered the entire mid-area of his body with a spiky protector on the top of the plate and loops around his left shoulder. Wrapped around his right shoulder was a huge white piece of fur. His name was Sesshomaru, the great dog demon.**

**Sesshomaru was armed with a sword called the Tensaiga, a sword with the power to save one hundred lives with one swing. The Tensaiga is the opposite of the Tetsusaiga and was entrusted to him.**

**Next to Sesshomaru was a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties with slit amber eyes, elf like ears and short silver hair. Her outfit consisted of a white kimono top with slits at the top of the shoulders to allow freedom of movement, a pair of red baggy pants and a pair of black sandals. She also wore a pair of reading glasses, carried a large bag of her treasures and always had her face buried in a book. Her name was Sorincha, the sister of InuYasha and Sesshomaru.**

**She was armed with a sword which was kept in a brown sheath with a circular golden symbol in the center. This symbol had the face of an old man with long hair, a mustache and a beard. The tip of the hilt was gold while the base was brown and contained a glowing gem at the bottom. The blade of the sword was long and slim. This sword was known as the legendary Sounga. The third sword made by her father and trusted to her.**

**Following close behind the two dog demons was a small green demon with large yellow eyes, elf like ears and a beak. His outfit consisted of a brown kimono, a pair of tan baggy pants and a pair of brown sandals. He was armed with a weapon known as the staff of two heads, a long brown staff with two heads at the top. This demon was known as Jaken, one of Sesshomaru's followers.**

**Next to Jaken was a small human girl with long black hair and black eyes. Her outfit consisted of an orange and yellow checkered kimono. This girl's name was Rin, a girl Sesshomaru had saved from death. Rin has followed Sesshomaru ever since that fateful day.**

**Like InuYasha's group, Sesshomaru and his group were also on a journey to destroy Naraku. Whenever a scent was picked up or a clue discovered, they would follow it in hopes of it leading directly to their enemy.**

**Jaken sighed as he strolled close to Sesshomaru, the demon he called his master. "I hope we find Naraku soon. We've been wandering around this forest for days now." Rin was cheerful as ever as she replied to Jaken. "Master Jaken, I know Lord Sesshomaru wouldn't have gone this way if he didn't feel that Naraku was close."**

**Jaken shot back with an angry expression on his face. "I didn't say that I didn't have faith in my Lord, Rin!"**

**Without taking her eyes away from the page of her book she was attempting to read, Sorincha yelled at the two to be quite. "Would you two just shut up? You're making it impossible for me to read. I've repeated the same sentence three times."**

**Jaken bowed in a panic. "Forgive us mistress Sorincha. It would have remained quite if Rin knew when to keep her mouth shut." Sorincha narrowed her eyes. "I really don't care who started, I'm ending it now."**

**Sesshomaru came to a sudden stop, as if he sensed a power the others couldn't. "Impossible." He declared. Jaken looked surprised. "What is it my lord? Is it Naraku?"**

**Sesshomaru ignored Jaken like normal and thought to himself. "Could it be that the Shikon Jewel has been completed? If that were true, the demons should have calmed themselves. It must be a new power. One even Naraku must have overlooked." Without another word, he changed the direction of his path causing Jaken to panic. "Where are you going lord Sesshomaru? I thought Naraku was this way?" He said as he pointed in the direction they had previously been heading toward.**

**Rin skipped along merrily as she and Sorincha turned as well. Rin chuckled slightly. "You'd better hurry along Master Jaken or you'll be left behind." Jaken panicked and rushed to keep up with them.**

* * *

**A few hours had past since Kagome had left for her time period and the others were seated around the Bone Eater's well waiting for her return to the Feudal Era. Shippo was seated on the ground and was poking at a rather large rock with a stick he had found out of boredom. "I hope Kagome gets back soon."**

**InuYasha nodded from his spot on the edge of the well, actually agreeing with the fox demon. "No kidding. I'm getting tired of waiting. If she's not back soon, I'm going to have to go get her."**

**Shippo looked up toward InuYasha, a sort of half grin on his face. "Looks like InuYasha misses Kagome just as much as we do. Don't you InuYasha?" Shippo started laughing but was cut off seconds later when InuYasha slammed his fist onto the fox demon's head. "Ow!! InuYasha!! What did ya do that for?" InuYasha sighed. "You can be real annoying sometimes, ya know that?"**

**Sango intervened, hoping to end their little argument. "InuYasha, that's enough. Shippo didn't do anything wrong." InuYasha rolled his eyes. "Whatever."**

**Ryuko was starting to get as annoyed as InuYasha. "How long could it possibly take to persuade Kairi's parents into thinking she's going on a fieldtrip? Just sitting here is boring."**

**Sango motioned for Ryuko to calm herself. "Relax. We've had to wait for Kagome before so this is nothing new. I'm sure she'll be here any minute now."**

**Akira nodded and placed an arm around Sango, causing her to blush slightly. "Besides, I'm kind of enjoying the peaceful atmosphere here."**

**At that moment, a large, overfilled backpack was flung out of the Bone Eater's well and nearly flew into InuYasha. Seconds later, Kagome had climbed out of the well with a second bag placed over her shoulders. "Jeez, Kagome." InuYasha complained. "Could you try and be a little more careful? Your bag almost hit me in the head."**

**Shippo rubbed the small bump on his head, created by InuYasha. "Well it would have served you right after hitting me when I didn't even do anything!"**

"**Shut up, Shippo!" InuYasha shot back.**

**Kagome tried to hide her laughter. "InuYasha, calm down or you won't get your noodles. I know that you are anxious to get moving, but that's no reason to take it out on poor Shippo."**

**Akira appeared excited. "Great! That means you brought stuff for us." Kagome nodded. "Yep and it wasn't easy carrying all of this extra stuff."**

**Kairi sighed, rather disappointed. "Well … I would have come to help you, but it's impossible for me to go through the Bone Eater's well.**

**Kagome showed her concern for her cousin. "I know. It was no big deal really." Kagome removed the backpack from her shoulders and unzipped it. Once it was opened the first item she removed was Kairi's Game Boy along with a black case which had a few games and extra batteries.**

**Kairi couldn't help but show her appreciation. "Coolies! I'm guessing you were able to persuade my parents into thinking I was on a fieldtrip."**

**Kagome nodded. "I was … and let me tell you, it wasn't easy. To make it look more authentic, I had to get your homework and all of your school books so they knew you would be able to keep up with your studies." Kagome then removed a few school books with a list of homework and handed them over to Kairi.**

**Kairi rolled her eyes and tossed one of the books towards InuYasha. "Here, you can have this. I'll just tell them that my dog ate my homework."**

"**Very funny." InuYasha said sarcastically. "I'd punch you in the head if Kagome weren't here to tell me to sit in return."**

**Miroku chuckled as he seemed to look Kairi up and down. "Beautiful and funny. I think you and I will get along just fine." Kairi quickly turned defensive. "Don't even think about doing what I know you're thinking about doing."**

**InuYasha then tossed the book back at Kairi who missed catching it as it ended up hitting her in the stomach. In return for this, Kairi unsheathed her staff from behind her and bopped InuYasha on the head. "That does it!! Iron Reaver…"**

**InuYasha was instantly interrupted by Kagome. "Okay you two, that's enough!! You two need to settle down or I won't pass out your lunches."**

**Kairi pointing to InuYasha. "…He started it."**

**InuYasha shook his head. "I did not!" He screamed as he pointed toward her as well. "You threw your book at me and called me a dog!"**

"**Well you are a dog, aren't you?" Kairi questioned, sort of sarcastically.**

"**You're really pushing your luck." InuYasha shot back as he raised two fingers in the air. "In about two seconds, I won't care rather Kagome tells me to sit or not!"**

**Miroku bowed his head in disappointment. "Can't we all just get along?" He turned toward Kairi. "I mean, Kairi's new to our group. We should give her a break."**

**InuYasha's eyes narrowed. "I don't care if she's new or not. She's almost as annoying as Shippo."**

"**Hey!!" Shippo shot back, defensively.**

**Kagome turned her full attention to InuYasha and glared. "InuYasha … Sit Boy!!!" The rosary placed around InuYasha's neck emitted a faint glow as he fell into the ground causing Ryuko to burst out laughing. "That's never going to get old for me."**

**Akira sighed. "Can we stop this arguing now? I'm starving and I'd like to try some of the food Kagome brought for us." Sango nodded in agreement. "Akira's right, this fighting is pointless and should stop now."**

**InuYasha sighed as he pushed himself back to his feet. "Fine. But the second after we eat, we are going to continue our journey." He said as he flopped down into a sitting position.**

**Kagome nodded. "Alright, now that everything's settled, I'll pass out the lunches." She said as she pulled out specific lunch requests her friends had asked for.**

* * *

**Elsewhere, in the center of a nearby town, a group of five children (three boys, two girls) were outside playing a game of "Tag". One of the boys wearing a white and blue checkered kimono appeared to have been the one chosen as "It" as he attempted to tag the other children.**

"**I'm gonna get you!" He called out playfully as he almost touched the pink sleeve from one of the girl's kimonos. "Ha, ha! Missed Me." The girl laughed sarcastically as she dashed away from him.**

**However, this day of fun and games was soon shattered as the sound of incredibly loud buzzing was heard over head. Several wasps that appeared to be half the size of hawks were flying toward them. The children screamed in fear as they tried to make a break for it. "Rei! Look out!" The boy with the white and blue checkered kimono called out just as one of the wasps scooped up a girl with long brown hair, wearing a pink kimono.**

"**Tai, save me!" Rei screamed just as three of the other children were taken as well. "No … No … No! This can't be happening." Tai screamed as he turned direction down an alley. Realizing the wasp chasing him was starting to descend towards him, Tai made a desperate dive for the ground. Just as it seemed all hope was lost, an arrow shot through the air and hit the wasp dead on causing it to pin to a nearby fence.**

**One more arrow was fired which hit the wasp in it's head, causing it to instantly disintegrate. Shaking with fear, Tai climbed to his knees and turned to find a woman standing before him. This woman had long black hair, tied up in a ponytail. Her clothing consists of a white chihaya and a red hibakama.**

**She lowered her bow to her side and smiled toward Tai. "Are you alright?" Tai wasn't sure what to say. "I … I …" The woman approached the boy and offered to help him to his feet. "There's no need to be afraid anymore." A tear fell from Tai's left eye. "But … my friends …"**

"**Don't worry." Kikyo said as she shook her head, attempting to reassure him. "I'm a Priestess. I'll help you find your friends. What's your name?"**

"**T..T..Tai." He replied, nervously. "I'm Kikyo. I'm sorry we had to meet under such circumstances. For now … I should help you get back home safely. Then I'll be able to search for the others." Tai nodded. Kikyo offered her hand to him and the two headed toward Tai's place.**

* * *

**Sometime later, InuYasha and the others have left Kaeda's Village to continue their search for the jewel shards, hoping they'd be able to help Kairi find a way home as well. It wasn't long before Kagome had picked up the presence of a jewel shard nearby.**

"**I'm certain there's a jewel shard in the town to the west." She told InuYasha who appeared happy to finally be journeying again. "I hope so. It's been awhile since we've collected one. All these interruptions are so annoying."**

**Kairi frowned. "So I'm an interruption?" InuYasha nodded as he crossed his hands and placed them behind his head. "You've got that right." Kagome shook her head. "InuYasha …" Ryuko grinned. "Say it … Say it! You know you waaaant toooo."**

**InuYasha glared toward the cat demon. "Watch it feline." Ryuko held herself, forcing her body to shake. "Oooo, I'm sooo s-s-scared." As they were nearing the town, a wasp flew toward them at an incredible speed causing Kairi to shriek. "Eeeahhhh! A wasp! Kill it! Kill it!" She jumped behind Miroku who smiled. "I could get used to this."**

**Thinking quickly, Miroku held out his right hand and removed his rosary, revealing the wind tunnel. Seconds later, the wasp was pulled in and the wind tunnel was re-covered. "Well … that wasn't such a big deal."**

"**Wasn't a big deal?!" Kairi shot back. "Are you nuts? I've never seen a bug that BIG before!" Kagome couldn't help but chuckle. "Well … this IS the feudal era. You're gonna have to get used to this sort of thing."**

**Kairi sighed. "I wish I could have gone through that stupid well." InuYasha nodded. "For once we agree." As they continued on into the town, InuYasha's nose seemed to flare. "Hold on guys … I know this scent." He sniffed for a moment and instantly realized who it was. "Kikyo". He thought to himself. Without saying another word, InuYasha took off running toward the scent, leaving the group behind.**

"**What the heck was that all about?" Akira asked. "I've never seen him just take off like that before."**

"**There are only two reasons he would have dashed off like that." Sango replied. "Either it was Naraku … or …"**

"…**Kikyo…" Kagome finished, almost in a sigh.**

"**Who's Kikyo?" Kairi asked, confused. "It's … a long story." Miroku replied. "No it's not!" Shippo interrupted, as he jumped up on Kairi's shoulder. "Kikyo is InuYasha's girlfriend." He whispered in her ear.**

"**Oooooh. Who would have guessed?" Shippo laughed. "I know right! Hard to believe any girl could fall for a guy like him."**

"**Well … now that we've been separated from InuYasha … I think it would be best if we look for a place to stay while we're here." Miroku chipped in.**

**Akira nodded. "I agree, Miroku. After all, there's no telling how long we'll be here for." Miroku smiled. "It's decided then. It's time to go offer our services." Akira raised an eyebrow. "Our services…?"**

**Without another word, the group started their search for an inn.**

* * *

**Meanwhile, Kikyo had returned Tai to his home and was explaining the situation to the boy's parents. "…it appears that several of these demons have made a nest somewhere in this town. It'd be best if all the townspeople stayed in their homes until…" Before she could finish her sentence, InuYasha was seen standing in the doorway.**

"**Kikyo." Tai's father jumped to his feet. "Lady Priestess, a demon!" InuYasha sighed. "Relax old man, I'm with her." Tai's father appeared shocked. "Is this true my lady?" Kikyo frowned. "He is not with me … but I can assure you he means you know harm." Kikyo turned from the man and approached InuYasha. "What are you doing here?"**

"**I was about to ask you the same thing." InuYasha replied. "You first." Kikyo said calmly, pointing at him. "Kagome sensed a jewel shard nearby and once we arrived, I picked up your scent."**

"**I see…" InuYasha glared. "Is that all you're going to say to me?" Kikyo sighed. "InuYasha, I'm here on business. I don't have time to deal with your foolishness right now. Demon wasps have over taken this town and children have gone missing."**

"**Let me help you. I can take out these bugs without blinking an eye." InuYasha said, cracking his knuckles. Kikyo stared at him for a moment, as if in deep thought. "What about Kagome? Shouldn't you be with her?"**

"**B-but …" InuYasha stuttered, trying to find the right words, but Kikyo quickly stopped him. "You need to return to your friends. Your assistance is not needed here." InuYasha looked as if he was going to fight for his position, but ended up turning away from Kikyo, sighing. "I just want you to know, I'm not leaving because you told me to. We're not leaving here until we find that jewel shard." Kikyo smiled. "Then maybe our paths will cross again." InuYasha gave a sort of half grin and left to rejoin his group.**

**Kikyo then returned her attention to Tai and his family. "Rest assured, the demons in this town will be defeated. One way … or another." The boy's father bowed with respect. "Thank you my lady." Kikyo returned the man's bow and turned to leave as well.**

* * *

**Meanwhile, Kagome and the others had managed to score themselves free room and board at a nearby inn thanks to Miroku's scheming efforts. They were each seated on pillows in front of numerous tables, set out in a circular formation. Numerous plates of food had been served for them. Akira let out a disappointed sigh. "I'm still not sure I agree with how we ended up here, Miroku."**

**Miroku lowered his chopsticks and raised an eyebrow. "Whatever do you mean?" Akira glared toward the monk. "Seriously? You can't understand why? This inn is not haunted. There's no dark presence at all." Miroku looked around, rather panicked. "Shh, keep your voice down. Besides, it's not as if it were a complete lie."**

**Akira folded his arms. "How do you figure that?" Miroku smiled. "It's quite simple really. There's a strong possibility there's a jewel shard in this town right." Akira nodded. "So? What's your point?"**

"**My point is …" Miroku started, rubbing his chin. "…If there's a jewel shard here … there's a strong possibility that there are demons here as well. If that's the case, we will more than likely have to slay them in order to retrieve the shard. So in a sense, we will still be protecting the town."**

**Shippo nodded. "Besides, there's no sense in letting all this good food go to waste." The fox demon added, taking a bite out of an egg roll.**

"**There, see. Shippo's got the idea." Miroku replied. At that moment, InuYasha popped his head through the doorway. "There you are." Kagome shot one of the dirtiest looks ever toward him. "Did you have fun with Kikyo?"**

"**What are you talking about? I barely got to say anything to her." InuYasha said, flopping down on one of the pillows. Kagome gave a sarcastic laugh. "Good. Serves you right."**

"**But I did learn something interesting. I guess this town has been having some problem with demon wasps." Kairi looked nervous when she heard this. "You mean like the one Miroku sucked up with his Wind Tunnel?" InuYasha nodded. "I guess so. Apparently they've been kidnapping children."**

**Sango looked concerned. "We have to do something to help them. Are there any clues as to where they might have a nest?" InuYasha shook his head.**

"**Well … I bet we could find them easily enough." Akira replied. "With my tracking ability and InuYasha's nose we'll find them before the sun sets." Ryuko grinned. "I wouldn't be so sure. I betcha this mutt here couldn't find his way out of a paper bag." InuYasha glared. "Shut up and drink your milk, cat."**

"**InuYasha…" Kagome called angrily. "…SIT!…" The rosary around InuYasha's neck emitted a purple glow as he crashed into the ground, causing a bowl of soup to fall on his head. Ryuko couldn't resist the urge to laugh. "Thank you Kagome. It never gets old."**

"**Anyway…" Miroku interrupted. "I say once we finish our meal, we should begin searching the town." Akira nodded in agreement. With the plan decided, the group went back to their meal.**

* * *

**Meanwhile, in a forest on the outskirts of the town, Kikyo had followed her "Soul Collectors" or "Shinigami" to a large hive. It appeared to have been cloaked form normal human eyes by some sort of dark aura. Kikyo drew her bow and with caution began to move toward the left side of the hive. Buzzing sounds were heard on the inside as she slowly made her way toward the front entrance.**

"**The Queen needs more energy." A voice said, masked with buzzing. "The power from the children isn't enough to satisfy her." Kikyo appeared shocked as she peeked through a hole near the front entrance. In the back of the hive was the Queen. A Shikon Jewel glowed near her stinger. Placed around the hive were several children, encased in a hardened honey like substance. Each child was unconscious. Workers buzzed around, frantically attending to the Queen's commands.**

"**This is a much worse situation than I realized." Kikyo thought to herself. At that moment, a wasp appeared behind her and scooped her up, causing her to drop her bow. "Well, well. A priestess. You will surely give the Queen plenty of power." Kikyo kicked frantically, trying to break free as the Wasp flew into the hive with her as it's captive.**

* * *

**Sometime later, Kagome and the others found themselves in the forest, following the presence of the Shikon Jewel. "You're sure it's this way?" Sango asked Kagome who nodded in response. "Positive." InuYasha stopped to sniff for a moment. "I'm definitely picking up their scent … wait … there's something else. Kikyo's nearby too."**

**Kagome frowned. "We already knew that." InuYasha shook his head. "I mean she's in this forest. She might need our help." Akira nodded. "Well let's move out faster than." Sango turned to Kirara who jumped off from her shoulder and transformed to her full size. Sango, Miroku, Kairi and Shippo climbed onto her back while Kagome reluctantly climbed onto InuYasha's. The group then rushed off at top speed, Akira keeping up with InuYasha's pace.**

**Before long, the group found themselves at the hive. Kairi's eyes practically popped out of their sockets. "It's huge!" Akira teleported from a nearby tree branch and landed to the side of the hive, having noticed Kikyo's bow laying on the ground. He held it in the air. "Is this Kikyo's?" InuYasha rushed to him to get a better look. "That's hers! I'd know that bow anywhere. Let's go guys!"**

**Akira stopped him. "Hold on a minute. We can't just go barging in there. We don't know the whole situation yet." InuYasha glared. "I know enough. Kikyo's in danger."**

**Akira sighed. "InuYasha … take a look for a moment. There are a few holes around the exterior of the hive. What do you see?"**

**InuYasha peeked through one of the holes and found Kikyo encased in the same honey like substance the children were encased in. However, she was not yet unconscious. The Queen had it's front legs wrapped around the top half of Kikyo as white orbs of energy were being drained from her and transferred into the Queen.**

"**See, if you go and throw your Wind Scar around, you'll hurt Kikyo and the kids. We have to be careful about this." Akira stated. "Alright, I get it. Now can we go free Kikyo before she's drained of everything?" Akira nodded. "Leave it to me."**

**Akira placed his hood on and teleported to the back of the hive, making sure to conceal himself in the shadows. He then carefully made his way toward the Queen. Once he was close enough, he pulled out a Shuriken with his left hand. With the Shuriken held out in front of him, he made a hand sign with his free hand and the weapon doubled in size.**

**Without wasting another moment, he tossed the weapon toward the Queen. However, this attack was noticed by one of the workers who made the ultimate sacrifice for his queen and took the weapon head on. However, while his attack had failed, the queen was forced to stop draining energy from Kikyo.**

"**Workers, we've been infiltrated. Find my attacker and murder him!" The Queen commanded. "Crap!" Akira thought to himself as he teleported to another location. Outside the hive, InuYasha smirked. "Looks like mister cautious got found out." Sango motioned for Kirara to land. "Let's go!"**

**The group then rushed into the hive. Once they stepped through the entrance, they found themselves surrounded. Thinking fast, InuYasha bared his claws out in front of him and called out "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer" as he sliced through two of the wasps. Sango then drew her boomerang and called out "Hiraikotsu" as she hurled it toward the demons.**

**One of the wasps was lucky enough to dodge it, however two of them were not as they were sliced in two. Seconds later, the boomerang spun around and made it's return to Sango, taking out another of the demons in the process.**

**Miroku then threw out several of his Sutras just as Ryuko had taken out a few of the wasps with her claws, narrowly missing being stung. The rest of the group was now paralyzed giving Kagome and Kairi a chance to finish off the rest. Kairi held her staff out in front of her and called out "I call upon the flames of fury: fireballs!". As the jewel around her neck emitted an orange glow several fireballs shot forward from her staff and sped toward the wasps, while Kagome took out the wasps that Kairi missed.**

**Meanwhile, in the back of the Hive, Akira found himself having to deal with the Queen of the Wasps. "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!" The Queen shouted as she released several stingers toward Akira. Akira quickly teleported out of the way of each stinger and attempted to toss kunai in retaliation. However, due to the fact that the Queen held a jewel shard in her position, she was too fast and was able to easily dodge his attacks.**

"**That does it … it's time to finish this." The Queen Bee then raised her front legs and released a honey like substance that encased itself around Akira's midsection and began to harden around him. "Akira!" Sango called as she tossed her Hiraikotsu at the hardening substance, breaking it upon impact.**

"**What's this?!" The Queen called out angrily causing InuYasha to laugh. "This is your down fall." He said as he drew his Tetsusaiga which doubled in size as he held it out in front of him. "InuYasha, behind you!" Akira shouted just as several more workers appeared.**

**InuYasha turned in an attempt to slay them, but before he could do anything, the wasps began to release their honey like substance upon the group. Kairi screamed in panic as the jewel around her neck began to emit an orange glow once more. Suddenly, a stream of fire was released from her staff which encircled her and the others in a protective wall of fire, burning the honey substance instantly and taking out the extra workers as well. Kairi looked shocked. "What the …?"**

"**Looks like you unlocked a new move." Kagome replied, excited. InuYasha smirked. "Alright … I think it's about time we finished this. Kagome, can you see the jewel shard on her?" Kagome looked toward the Queen and noticed a strong purple glow coming from just above her stinger. "There!" Kagome pointed. Thinking fast, Akira drew another Shuriken, this time adding the element of fire around it. He then teleported behind the Queen and tossed his weapon.**

**However, with the jewel shard still in her position, the Queen dodged the weapon. However, two of her legs were burnt off as the weapon shot underneath her. Akira made another hand sign causing the weapon to return, taking out one of her wings in the process.**

**Kagome then pulled out an arrow and placed it in her bow. While Akira kept the Queen busy, she took aim and fired toward the jewel shard. Seconds later, the jewel shard was hit and was released from the Queen's body. Thinking fast, Akira grabbed the shard and teleported out of the way, giving InuYasha a chance to finish this once and for all.**

**InuYasha raised his sword above his head and shouted, "Wind Scar!!" As he called out this attack, he brought his sword crashing back down to the ground releasing six rays of light energy which sped toward the Queen of the Wasps. The rays blasted directly through her and crashed through the back of the hive, causing her to disintegrate.**

**The protective aura of fire around them faded as InuYasha sheathed his weapon once more. "That takes care of that. Now let's get Kikyo and the kids out of here." With that, Kairi began to release fireballs toward those who had been encased by the wasps, freeing them from their imprisonment.**

**InuYasha had caught Kikyo, who nearly collapsed when she was freed. "Looks like you needed my help after all." He said, smiling. Once the hive was destroyed, the group lead the children back to the village and returned to the inn. **

*****************

**(To Be Continued)...  
**


	6. Chapter 06: Naraku's Trap

**(Hi everyone. It's been awhile since I wrote another chapter for my InuYasha fanfic. I haven't forgotten about it. :) Oh and I'd like to give a Shout out to Yuti-Chan. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Anyways, without further ado, here's chapter Six. Reviews are very much appreciated.)**

**Chapter Six**

**Naraku's Trap**

**A few days had passed since InuYasha and his group had defeated the Queen Bee. This time, they found themselves in the outskirts of a nearby village on what appeared to be a tracking mission. Kagome had her arms wrapped lightly around InuYasha's neck as he carried her on his back. Sango and Kari were riding on Kirara who was hovering just inches over the ground. Shippo was seated on Kari's lap. Akira and Miroku were walking together just to the left of Kirara. Ryuko was putting her agility to the test as she swung from tree branch to tree branch.**

**Every few steps they took, there was a large salamander like foot print embedded within the ground. Occasionally they passed by a collapsed tree, its leaves scorched off. "According to the villagers, the beast was a giant salamander." Miroku stated. "A giant fire breathing salamander by the looks of it." Akira added, as they neared the beast's location. More and more of the grass around them appeared to be burning. Kari appeared very nervous. "Maybe it's just me … but shouldn't we be going the OPPOSITE direction of these foot prints?"**

**InuYasha laughed. "You sure a chicken." Kagome sighed. "Be nice, InuYasha. Kari's still kind of new to this." InuYasha rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Anyway … Kagome said she can sense a jewel shard this way. You should be able to figure out why we won't be changing directions."**

**Seconds later, the ground below them began to quake. An enormous, deafening roar was heard. "There!" Sango pointed just as the beast came into view. Its body was mostly red, its stomach a bright yellow. Scales covered its back and sitting on top of its head were two massive horns. It slammed its scaly tail on the ground, the tip of it emitting a small flame.**

"**Alright, let's do this." InuYasha shouted as Kagome hopped off his back and grabbed her bow. Being as Ryuko was closer to the beast than the rest of the group she was the first to make a move. She flipped her entire body around one branch and launched herself toward the salamander's head. She landed on the beast's nose and clawed at one of its eyes.**

**This only angered the beast as it reached up and clasped a hand around Ryuko's body. He then tossed her toward the ground, Ryuko just barely catching her balance before smashing into it face first. She meowed in anger. "So, you wanna play that way, do you?"**

**Just as Ryuko was about to retaliate, Akira teleported in front of her, a massive shuriken held behind him. He quickly ran up the trunk of a nearby tree, leapt off a branch and hurled his weapon at the beast. The shuriken sped forward and made direct contact with one of the salamander's hands, slicing it off. The shuriken returned to Akira who grabbed a hold of it just as Kirara had grabbed a hold of him via the back of his clothes.**

**Akira turned his head and smiled. "Thanks Sango." Sango who was now the only one on Kirara's back blushed slightly. "You're welcome." Meanwhile, InuYasha was dodging wave after wave of fire from the beast. When he caught a free moment, he drew his Tetsusaiga which transformed in size instantly. After the blade grew to its full size, a wave of fire hit the sword, causing InuYasha to push back with all of his might, deflecting it.**

**The salamander then released another wave of fire which was heading straight toward Kari. Moving fast, Miroku jumped in front of her and outstretched his right arm. He quickly removed his rosary, revealing his wind tunnel which sucked up the flames like a black hole. He then quickly placed the rosary back into place and turned to check on Kari. "You okay?" She nodded nervously. "I'm fine, thanks." Miroku grinned.**

"**Kagome? Can you see the jewel shard?" InuYasha asked, deflecting another of the blasts as Ryuko sliced her way down one of the beast's arms with her claws. Kagome concentrated for a moment as she scanned the salamander's body from head to toe. A moment later, she saw a purple glimmering light emitting from its right eye. "There! It's in the right eye!" She pulled out an arrow and slid it into place, trying to take perfect aim.**

**Just as she was about to take her shot, a wave of fire that InuYasha had just sliced through, ricocheted off his blade just right to send it sailing toward Kagome. She screamed in terror, but just as it nearly hit her, she found that her body had teleported to a new location nearby. "Huh?" She turned to see Akira behind her. "Thanks, Akira."**

"**No problem." Akira replied just as InuYasha was sent sailing backwards. "Why can't we just have InuYasha use the wind scar? Or have Miroku suck this thing up?" Kari shouted. "Because then we risk losing the jewel shard." Miroku replied.**

"**Grrrrr, I want this thing gone!" She shouted as the jewel around her neck began to glow an aqua shade of blue. Suddenly a massive dark storm cloud appeared above the salamander beast. Seconds after it appeared, a massive waterfall shot down toward the beast with enough force to cause it to crash to the ground, face first. Kari looked shocked. "Did I do that?"**

**InuYasha stood to his feet. "Alright, Kari! A new spell!" Kari took out her scroll as the words "****Waters of the deep, submerge thy enemy!" appeared followed by the attack name Waterfall. "Well … this couldn't have come at a better time." She said, smiling.**

"**Kagome, now's your chance." InuYasha called. "Right." Kagome replied, nodding. She quickly slid another arrow back into place as she took aim. "Fire!" She shouted. Just as the arrow went speeding toward the beast a swarm of Naraku's poisonous insects known as the Saimyosho appeared and sped forward. Some of these insects took the hit for Kagome's arrow, while another of them removed the jewel shard from the beast's eye. Instantly the beast decreased in size to that of a small harmless lizard. "Damn it, Saimyosho!" InuYasha screamed in anger. "Where did they come from?"**

"**They're taking the shard!" Kagome screamed. The second the shard was in their position, the insects flew off, disappearing from view. They left behind a trail of their demon scent for InuYasha to follow "We can't let them get away. Let's go." InuYasha led the group as they chased after the Saimyosho.**

**(***)**

**Elsewhere, at Naraku's mansion, Kagura opened the sliding door to Naraku's room. He was seated in front of a small table, a shard of the Shikon Jewel rested upon it.**

"**Dear, dear… you've set your sights quite high this time. You plan to lure them with this?" Kagura reached for the jewel which repelled her with an invisible field. "You sure do love your traps, don't you … my dear master?" She had to force out the words 'my dear master'. It almost made her sick to her stomach. She turned away from Naraku and covered her face with her fan.**

"**The Ninja's body?" Naraku questioned, in a very demanding tone. "I've recovered it." Kagura replied. "Good … this should be quite the show." Naraku replied as Kagura left the room.**

**(***)**

**It was evening by the time InuYasha and the group had tracked the area the Saimyosho had headed to. Everyone but InuYasha looked unsure if they had made the right decision in following the insects. "What a creepy looking mansion." Sango commented, rubbing her arms as a sudden chill shot through her. Akira nodded in agreement. "I've got a bad feeling about this. InuYasha … I think we should turn back."**

"**But the scent ends here. Which means this is where the jewel shard is. We can't just leave knowing that." He said, folding his arms. "I'd understand having to explain that to Kari … but you should definitely know better."**

"**Well excuse me for being concerned about my friends, InuYasha. This place SCREAMS evil. I think we may be in over our heads with this one." Akira replied just as several kunai hit the ground in front of him. "What the…?" Akira and the others turned to see a Ninja standing before them. His face was covered by his dark blue hood and the outfit he wore looked very familiar to Akira.**

"**Who are you?" Akira questioned, grabbing a hold of a shuriken. "Who I am is of no concern." The Ninja replied as he entered a fighting stance. "What matters is that this is where you will die." A blue line of chakra appeared around the outline of his entire body. Then the Ninja clasped his hands together in the formation of a gun as several copies of him appeared around the court yard.**

"**The copy technique? That technique is among the most advanced for my people." Akira commented. "They're just illusions aren't they?" InuYasha asked. "No … these are solid copies. They can and will hurt you. Everyone be on your guard."**

**At that moment, the Ninja copies rushed toward InuYasha and the group. "This is my kind of party." Ryuko said as she leapt over one of the Ninjas narrowly avoiding being struck by a kunai. She then fired off several balls of fire into a group of them.**

**Meanwhile, Kari and Kagome were flying around on Kirara, doing their best to dodge the Ninjas attacks. Kagome retaliated with arrow after arrow while Kari read from her scroll, her staff pointed toward the enemies. "I call upon the flames of fury, FIREBALLS!" Her jewel began to glow a bright orange shade as numerous balls of fire were released from her staff like bullets from a gun.**

**Elsewhere, Sango and Akira were back to back fighting off the Ninjas. Sango had her Hiraikotsu held in front of her as a shield, while she struck back with her sword. Akira fought back with his tools. Once they had both disarmed the group that was attacking them, Akira tossed his massive shuriken while Sango tossed her boomerang.**

**In another area of the court yard Shippo had his fox fire surrounding him and Miroku as a protective field. Miroku managed to suck in a few of the ninja copies with his wind tunnel before the poisonous insects showed up once more while Shippo used his spinning top attack.**

**And in yet another area of the court yard, InuYasha had joined up with Ryuko. Having received a small wound from some of the ninja's weapons, InuYasha stuck his claws into it and threw out several blades of blood toward the Ninjas. Ryuko continued to use her enhanced agility to easily dodge attacks while clawing the copies down.**

**Before long, the group had taken down all of the copies, leaving the original standing. "If you think you've won, you're sadly mistaken." The ninja commented, his hands grasped once more in the formation of a gun.**

"**That's right. You're not finished here until they're good and dead." A woman's voice replied. The group looked toward the mansion to see the figure of a woman standing behind a screen door. "Kagura." InuYasha growled under his breath.**

"**Kagura?" Akira questioned with hatred in his eyes. "The demon who killed my master?" Kagura chuckled behind the mansion's door. "That's partially correct."**

"**Partially correct? What the Hell are you talking about? Explain yourself." Akira demanded. "Who do you think you've been fighting?" Kagura replied. Akira's eyes grew wide. "Master … Kenji?" The ninja removed his hood, revealing his true identity. "But … but how? Why?"**

"**You can thank Naraku and I for that. Kenji here has been revived and promised immortality." Kagura replied, opening the screen door. "All he has to do is kill you brats and take your jewel shards."**

**Kagome noticed a faint glowing light coming from Kenji's left arm. "That glow! It's not the light from the Sacred Jewel! It's black and the glow is warped! What is that fragment?" Kari looked confused. "Is something wrong, cous'?" Kagome nodded. "Definitely."**

**InuYasha held his sword in front of him, pointing it at Kagura. "Enough games. Where's Naraku?" At that moment, Kenji appeared behind InuYasha and kicked him with enough of an upward motion to send him sailing into the sky. InuYasha quickly caught himself and threw several blades of blood toward Kenji as he was on his way back to the ground.**

**Meanwhile, Akira took this opportunity to charge for Kagura. He hurled his massive shuriken toward her which was easily knocked aside by her wind blades. He was about to teleport behind her when Ryuko suddenly charged him and knocked him to the ground. Both Akira and Kagura had the same sort of shocked expressions. "What the Hell are you doing, cat?" Akira asked, jumping back to his feet.**

"**She's not your enemy, Naraku is." Akira raised an eyebrow. "Are you nuts? Haven't you heard her say Naraku and 'I'"? He replied, making quotation marks. "I heard her just fine …" Ryuko replied, clearly annoyed by his tone. " …but there's something about her. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I don't think she's as evil as she appears."**

"**Hello!" Akira replied, sarcastically. "She's killed thousands of people including my master … and you don't think she's as evil as she appears?" Ryuko got defensive, glaring at Akira. "We all know the kind of power this 'Naraku' guy has. You ever think maybe she has no choice but to do what he says?"**

"**Again … she's a part of him. What difference would that make? She's an evil, murderous demon and you're trying to stop me from killing her. That makes YOU an enemy." Akira shouted as he started to turn his back on the cat demon, only to find her foot in his back, knocking him to the ground.**

**Kagura smiled. "What an unexpected turn of events." She thought to herself. But this is working out perfectly." Kagura disappeared from sight as she headed deeper into the mansion.**

"**This is crazy … who do we help?" Miroku questioned. "I … I think we should follow Kagura. Sango replied. "After all, she might lead us to Naraku." Kari raised an eyebrow. "You think we should just charge into the mansion?" Shippo shook his head. "That'd be a very bad idea."**

**Miroku nodded. "Charging into the enemy's trap is not a smart strategy, but…" Sango nodded and started to run forward. "…But we have no choice, do we?" She hurled her Hiraikotsu toward the mansion, knocking down a wall. Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kari ran further into the mansion. They stopped for a moment and looked around apprehensively. Seconds later, Kagura appeared behind a screen. "Where is Naraku?" Miroku questioned, readying himself to unleash his Wind Tunnel.**

"**He's not here. But he left something for you. He says this should keep you busy…" Kagura replied as a wooden puppet dropped to the ground. "What the…?" Kari questioned, moving behind Miroku. "A demon puppet!" Miroku shouted.**

"**Now then… I'll go see what's going on outside." Kagura vanished from the area as the puppet began to glow. Seconds later, it transformed into a baboon with thick root-like limbs. "This day keeps getting better and better. I'd so rather be doing homework right about now." Kari commented, clutching onto her staff. The root-like limbs of Naraku's puppet elongated and circled around the group. "As usual, the baboon likes to make things complicated." Miroku stated.**

"**While Akira and InuYasha fight Kenji and Ryuko, we get to take on a demon puppet. Naraku takes us too lightly." Sango replied, unsheathing her sword. "Don't let your guard down. We're inside Naraku's castle. Who knows what traps have been laid."**

"**Damn these traps. I've had just about enough!" Kari replied. "Fireballs!" Kari called out as the jewel on her neck turned to a bright orange. Once again numerous fireballs were emitted from her staff which she aimed at some of the roots around her, causing them to burn away freeing her. **

**Sango managed to break free as she jumped with her sword prepared. Roots suddenly crashed in from the ceiling and attacked Sango who sliced them away. She landed next to Miroku who had just thrown several of his sutras to free Shippo. "Shall we teach them a lesson?" Miroku asked. "A measly demon puppet is no match against us!" Sango replied as the group continued to attack the limbs of the puppet.**

**(***)**

**Back in the Court Yard, InuYasha were battling on the roof of the mansion. InuYasha ran across the roof toward Kenji, sword ready to slice just as the Ninja unleashed a massive beam of chakra toward him. InuYasha leapt into the air to avoid it which caused the beam to hit another part of the roof, creating a small explosion.**

**InuYasha leapt off from the roof and landed on the ground. "Damn … I don't remember this guy being this powerful when we first met. He probably would have been able to kill Kagura if he used all of these techniques. So where is he suddenly getting all of these techniques and strength?"**

**Meanwhile, Akira just managed to teleport away from one of Ryuko's balls of fire. He teleported behind her and performed a flipping kick to her back which sent her sailing into a tree. "Come on, this is nuts. We're supposed to be on the same team. We SHOULD at least be helping InuYasha." Ryuko hissed. "That's probably just an excuse for you to go after Kagura when my guard's down." She pointed toward herself. "And I'm not stupid enough to fall for it."**

**At that moment, another explosion occurred in the court yard as InuYasha's Wind Scar and Kenji's chakra beam met with one another. The blast was powerful enough to push both of the fighters backwards.**

**On another section of the mansion's roof, Kagome sat on Kirara's back, watching InuYasha fighting Kenji. "I'm not sure what that shard is in Kenji's arm … but I have a feeling that if I knock it out … he'll snap out of this. Though … it might kill him again. Then Akira would have to see his master die a second time. I don't know what I should do … but this can't go on forever."**

**Kenji teleported in front of InuYasha, ready to continue their battle. "Look … I know Naraku wants us to fight until one or both of us die. I don't intend to die! I'm not holding back!"**

**Kenji held his wrists together in front of his body, a blue chakra line surrounding him. InuYasha raised his Tetsusaiga over his head. At a beam of energy was about to be unleashed from Kenji's palms, suddenly one of Kagome's arrows shot through the air and stuck into Kenji's left arm. A black jewel shard was instantly pushed out from the spot Kagome's arrow hit, causing Kenji to fall to his knees.**

**InuYasha turned to see Kagome and Kirara in the air, very close by. "Nice one, Kagome." InuYasha lowered his weapon and it lost its width as he sheathed it. Akira turned from his battle with Ryuko and watched his master fall. "Master Kenji!" The ninja quickly kicked Ryuko a side and rushed over to Kenji and the others.**

"**Master." He called out to Kenji as he got down on his knees. He quickly turned his master over and held the top half of his body up. "Master, don't die on me again."**

"**I … I'm sorry … Akira … I … had no choice …" Kenji struggled to speak, coughing up a bit of blood. "I know, Master. I know." Kenji used some of his last strength to hold onto one of Akira's arms. "Naraku … he must be killed. His kind should not exist in this world. I know … I know you and your friends will defeat him." These were the last words Kenji was able to muster before he passed away once more.**

"**Master … MASTER!"**

**At that moment, several blades of wind, seemingly appeared out of nowhere and crashed into InuYasha. The half dog demon was pushed backwards with great force, a large wound left in his chest. "InuYasha!" Kagome screamed. Akira and Kagome looked up to see Kagura sitting on her large white leaf. "You …" Akira stated as he lowered his master to the ground. He clenched his fists and stood to his feet. "You … WITCH. I'm sick of you and your murderous ways."**

**Just then, another of Kagome's arrows shot through the sky and just barely missed Kagura. The demon turned toward Kagome and Kirara. "Really? Your sacred arrow? Not impressive at all. But I won't let you get in my way." Kagura raised her fan to strike but noticed InuYasha struggling to get to his feet, using his Tetsusaiga as a clutch. "Don't you dare lay a finger on Kagome … I'll take you on!"**

"**You want you fight me…in that condition?" Kagura asked, surprised. "Lemme tell you this… I'll show you no mercy! I can't stand the scent of Naraku that reeks from you! Just the thought of Naraku enables me to move my wounded body!"**

**InuYasha leapt with a transformed Tetsusaiga. Kagura easily blocked it with a wind blade, pushing InuYasha backwards. "She thwarted the Tetsusaiga with such little wind power." InuYasha thought to himself. "With just one arm, I can draw only half its power!"**

"**I am the Wind Sorceress." Kagura stated. The wind in this castle is under my control." She swung her fan in a full circle. "Dance of the Wind Sword!" A vortex of wind emerged around Kagura and surged towards InuYasha. InuYasha struggled to keep his position. Mini cyclones also surged toward InuYasha. Just as they were about to hit him, Akira grabbed him and teleported the two of them out of the way.**

"**This is her ghostly wind." InuYasha thought. "The point where the winds collide…the Wind Scar! Where Tetsusaiga can attain its greatest power! If I cut it through…I can destroy her!" InuYasha created a vortex of wind around him too. "What's happening? What's wrong? I can't see the Wind Scar anywhere around Kagura!"**

**Kagura flicked her fan which sent more mini-cyclones at InuYasha and Akira. The wind vortex around InuYasha dissipated. InuYasha gasped in shock. Kagura's words earlier on flashed back in InuYasha's mind. "I am the Wind Sorceress. The wind in this castle is under my control!"**

"**That means…my wind is also under her control!" He stated. InuYasha created another vortex around himself while Akira threw two Shuriken toward Kagura, each were massive in size. Kagura managed to knock one of the shuriken away with one of her wind blades, the other one just barely missed her as it was knocked a side by a ball of fire.**

"**You damn cat!" InuYasha screamed looking back toward Ryuko. "Who's side are you even on anyway?" Ryuko hissed. "Mine."**

"**Hit the target!" Kagome screamed as she fired off another arrow toward Kagura. To her surprise, the glowing arrow managed to twist the wind vortex around the demon. "Kagome's sacred arrow!" InuYasha thought to himself. "Kagura's ghostly wind is being blown away! All right! There is a way to create the Wind Scar!" InuYasha turned his head toward Kagome. "Kagome! Shoot an arrow at me! Stop dallying! Hurry and shoot!"**

"**What are you thinking?" Kagome questioned. "InuYasha, if this arrow hits you…even you could die! But…I must have faith in InuYasha!" Kagome fired another arrow in InuYasha's direction, which dissipated his wind vortex. The arrow that Kagome previously shot also dissipated Kagura's wind.**

"**These arrows are purifying my ghostly wind." Kagura thought to herself, her expression changed to one of pure shock. "Fool! Wind is easily created!" She screamed, swinging her fan. Another wind vortex appeared around her. At the same time, InuYasha also created a wind vortex around himself. The wind vortexes slowly collided into each other.**

**InuYasha raised his Tetsusaiga above his head and called out "Wind Scar!". ****He then brought his sword crashing back down to the ground releasing six rays of light energy which sped toward Kagura. The demon gasped in horror while her clothes were burnt away by the fire from InuYasha's weapon.**

"**The Wind Scar…!" As Kagura's leaf started to fade away, she quickly pulled out a spare and jumped over to it as it carried her away at a very fast speed. Kagura was on her hands and knees, obviously severely wounded from InuYasha's attack. A spider shaped burned scar was seen on her bare back. "Damn that InuYasha."**

**(***)**

**Still fighting Naraku's puppet inside the mansion, Miroku thrust his staff into the head of the baboon puppet. Sango leapt into the air and slashed its body into two with her sword and Kari shouted "Firewall!" as a wall of consumed the two pieces of the demon and burned them to shreds. The wooden puppet reappeared broken into pieces as it disintegrated. **

**Back in the court yard which has transformed into a forest clearing, parts of the castle were seen fading away. Kagome appeared shocked. "This castle was an illusion!" Sango and the others rush forward toward InuYasha and the others. Kirara landed on the ground and Kagome hopped off.**

"**Are you all okay?" Miroku asked, worried. "Where's Kagura?" Sango interrupted.**

"**I … we let her get away … I couldn't use my broken right arm…so I couldn't deliver the finishing blow." InuYasha collapsed, exhausted. "InuYasha!" Kagome screamed as she ran over to him, kneeling down. "Relax Kagome, he's worn out. He needs rest. Just like the rest of us after today's events."**

**Akira was seated in the grass, his upper body leaned backward some as he looked up at the sky. "Some wounds from today won't be able to be healed with just rest." Akira replied. Sango sat down by him to comfort him. "I also think we need to have a serious discussion about Ryuko's part in this group."**

**Ryuko hissed angrily. "Pssh … talk about whatever you want. It makes no difference to me. Though if you think you'll get rid of me that easily … you're sorely mistaken ninja."**

**Kari sighed and went to sit down for a moment when she noticed the once tainted jewel shard was turning back to its normal shade. "Hey you guys … during all the commotion Kagura forgot about the jewel shard."**

"**It even looks like it's turning back to normal." Shippo added.**

"**Well … I guess that's one good thing." Miroku commented.**

**Elsewhere, Kagura was seated on her feather, still fleeing the scene. "Naraku! Naraku, where are you?" She thought to herself.**

**(Flashback)**

**Kikyo was standing on a field, waiting for InuYasha. Naraku sprinted from behind and attacked her. Kikyo fell onto the ground. Naraku, disguised as InuYasha, held up the Sacred Jewel in his hand.**

"**Naraku…" Kagura thought. "Fifty years ago, in order to steal the Sacred Jewel… Naraku tricked InuYasha and Kikyo to battle each other."**

**Kikyo shot a sacred arrow toward InuYasha. "Die, InuYasha!"**

**(Present)**

"**He is gathering the Sacred Jewel fragments and his evil power is growing steadily." Kagura continued her thought process. "Miroku has been cursed by Naraku with a Wind Tunnel in his right hand. One day, the Wind Tunnel will devour Miroku himself. He must destroy Naraku before that happens. Sango's father and fellow demon slayers were killed before her very eyes. Naraku had resorted to the dirty trick of using her brother Kohaku. It was also Naraku who gave the deadly poison wasps to Sesshomaru and deceived Sango into fighting InuYasha! Then he forced me into Akira's village … we know what happened from there. He never dirties his hands… a despicable coward! Someday, we'll get him! And maybe … just maybe I'll have some assistance from this Ryuko."**

**Sometime later, Kagura returns to Naraku's mansion. She barged into his room, her anger very readable in both her motions and her voice. "Naraku!"**

"**So … you came out of this alive." Naraku replied, clearly not even the slightest bit of concern for her detected in his voice. "Shut up!" Kagura shot back. "You tricked me, didn't you? You were using me as a weapon. Just so you could find out even more about InuYasha and the others fighting capabilities."**

"**A sword that cuts through the Wind Scar and a new jewel with the power of the elements. I wondered just how powerful they were. But if you can make it back alive, I guess it wasn't really worth the effort was it?" Naraku replied, a small smirk appearing on his face.**

"**So you did trick me? How dare you!" Kagura pulled out her fan and sent wind blades at Naraku. They managed to cut a part of Naraku's clothes and smashed the windows behind him. The clothes were cut just right to reveal a spider shaped burn mark on his back. Naraku turned around and held out his clasped hand. He opened it revealing a red glowing orb.**

"**That's …" Kagura started to comment as Naraku clasped his hand and squeezed the orb. Kagura fell onto her knees in pain. "Don't forget, Kagura. Your heart is in my hands!"**

"**Damn!" Kagura swore, clenching her chest. "It's simple to turn you back into what you were. So Kagura… do not forget. In essence… you were created from a part of me." He turned his head toward two jars on a shelf. One of the jars contained a throbbing heart inside, sitting in a vicious fluid.**

**(***)  
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